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stonyhurst association

N e w sl e t t erNe wsletter 299 A MDG septeMber 2009

stonyhurst association

N e w sl e t t erNewsletter 299 A MDG septeMber 2009

Diary of Events 4Congratulations 5Correspondence & Miscellany 6Reunions & Convivia 750th Anniversary Reunion 8OS’79 Reunion & Bursary Appeal 9Wanderers 10Marathon & Charities 12The Greenhouse Effect 14Rhodesia 15Zimbabwe 20Chirwirangwe 22Gap Year News 23Capella Fede 25Chairman & President 26Classifieds 29 Shop 30

Front Cover:

St George’s College, Harare, 2000. Ben O’Connor, the teacher in the foreground, now teaches at Stonyhurst

Back Cover:

St Peter’s Church, Stonyhurst, seen from across the Round Pond in the Jesuits’ Gardens. Photo by Christopher Bancroft (Poetry)

The Stonyhurst Magazine was founded in 1881. Until 1935 there were six issues per year. Between 1935 and 1957 the number varied between three and six. From 1958 to 1975 there were three issues per year. From 1976 to 1986 there were two, since then only one.

Copies of most back issues from 1881 to the present time are still available. They can be purchased at £5.00 per copy, including postage/packing, from the Editor (for details, see below).

Today’s Magazine contains almost 100 pages of illustrated and fascinating articles, all with a historical Stonyhurst connection, in addition to a full report on the year’s activities, obituaries of former pupils etc. It will keep you entertained for hours!

To purchase a copy of the 2009 edition, please send a cheque for £10.00 (payable to ‘Stonyhurst Magazine’) to: The Editor, The Stonyhurst Magazine, Stonyhurst College, Clitheroe, Lancashire bb7 9pz.

To enrol as a subscriber, please email association@stonyhurst.ac.uk for an application form.

Published by the Stonyhurst Association

Stonyhurst College, Clitheroe Lancashire bb7 9pz

Tel: 01254 827043 Email: association@stonyhurst.ac.uk.

www.stonyhurst.ac.uk

Editor: David Mercer (d.mercer@stonyhurst.ac.uk)

© Stonyhurst Association

coNteNts

ThiS Newsletter concentrates on Stonyhurst’s links with

Zimbabwe. As always our Editor has done a fine job in pulling together a cocktail of articles.

Our most tangible link is through St George’s harare, with whom we have many old pupils and staff in common. We hope to see at least some of them at the London Convivium on October 14th to which those in the area will be invited. Another strong Stonyhurst connection with Zimbabwe has been sadly severed this year, with the death of Fr Gerald McCabe, SJ (OS 1941-1949). Through him Eagle Aid has been supporting the Stoma Therapy and Wounds Clinic in harare.

i commend the work of ‘our’ Eagle Aid; i hope you will also help with the appeal accompanying this Newsletter to support The Matu-maini Care Centre in Tanzania. Another OS who died this year, Philip McKenna (1967-1972), left Eagle Aid a substantial legacy; not something we can all do, but a great example all the same.

We should mention that the College and SMh help two institutions in Zimbabwe, St Peter’s, Kubatana and St Paul’s Primary School at Musami Mission. Funds have been raised for them and supplies sent

in directly when possible. Some of the staff and pupils and OS have been out there giving practical help and moral support.

Whether or not we would have said so at the time (!), we surely all benefited from our education at the College. Everyone has felt the effects of the economic down turn; even so, i hope that you will be generous to future generations by supporting the College’s vision for the future with your prayers and with support for the Bursary Fund Appeal. ignatius was ostracised in sixteenth century Rome for having “Gratis” written over the entrance to the first Jesuit Colleges. Would that Stonyhurst could emulate him; with our help, one day it might!

My usual thanks go to the Association’s office staff and Committee, without whom none of that which is set out in this Newsletter would be possible. We look forward to receiving your comments, your news, and your support. Please pass the word onto other OS who may not be in touch with us or with the College, that we are alive and kicking, and for ever trying to find ways to be more active, more relevant, and more effective.

Christopher Page

froM the chAir M AN

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October 14th

London ConvIvIuM

Mass will be at Farm Street at 7.00pm followed by a light buffet in the Church hall. All OS, parents and families are very welcome. For catering purposes it would be helpful if you would contact the Association Office if you plan to attend. Please email association@stonyhurst.ac.uk.

October 31st

STon yhurST ASSoCIATIon FuLL CoMMITTEE MEETIng,

STon yhurST

October 31st

STon yhurST ASSoCIATIon AnnuAL dInnEr,

STon yhurST

The President at the dinner is Dr

Barry O’Driscoll OS 1960. The Guest Speaker is Mr Sean Fitzpatrick. The booking form is available from the Association Office or it can be downloaded from the Stonyhurst web site. Please note that all the accommodation on the booking form has now been allocated.

November 15th 2009

STon yhurST PILgrIMAgE TruST, TruSTEES MEETIng,

STon yhurST

CAroL SErvICE, STon yhurST

December 8th 2009St Peter’s Church, Stonyhurst, 7.00pm: public carol service.

December 10th 2009St Peter’s Church, Stonyhurst, 3.00pm: carol service for parents, staff and pupils.

diary of eventsDetails will be published on the web site (www.stonyhurst.ac.uk/association.shtml);

email association@stonyhurst.ac.uk with any queries

December 16th 2009

London, SLoAnE SquArE CAroL SIngIng

6.30—8 pm and afterwards at a venue nearby. Contact Ben Pryor on 07796 145 166 or email: ben.pryor@gs.com

February 27th 2010

EdInburgh ConvIvIuM

This will be held at the Sacred heart Church, Lauriston, Edinburgh, when the main celebrant will be Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien. Mass will be at 11.00am followed by a buffet lunch in the Church hall. All OS, parents and families are very welcome; we would ask that for catering purposes you let the Association Office know if you plan to attend by emailing association@stonyhurst.ac.uk.We would be delighted to welcome our young OS at university in Scotland!

congr atulations

births

Jerome Saulet oS 90 – 94 and his wife, Jessica, now have a daughter, Juliette Elizabeth, born 14th January, 2009.

vicente gradillas oS 85 – 90 and his wife Lucy had a daughter on 27th February, ines Monica Ester, a sister for Adelaida and Yolanda.

richard Wotton oS 78 – 88 and his wife, Emma had another son, Alexander John, on 16th July 2009.

eNGAGeMeNts

Mr T C o’Maoleoin oS 82 – 90 and Miss N R Slater

The engagement is announced between Thomas, the second son of Mr and Mrs Michael B O’Maoleoin, of haywards heath, West Sussex, and Nyree, younger daughter of Mr and Mrs Jonathan W Slater, of Kelsall, Cheshire.

M Ar r iAGes

Lisa banks oS 95 – 97 married Kenneth ian Davis at Borgholm Castle near Kalmar, Sweden on 8th June 2008.

Julian ribet oS 87-92 was married to Polly Fergusson on 18th April 2009, at Arundel Cathedral. Fr nicholas King SJ, oS conducted the ceremony. dominic ribet oS 90-98 was the best man supported by bernard barrett oS 87-92 and Mickey radice oS 87-92 who were ushers. William brotherton oS 87-92, nicholas newton oS 90-95, oliver newton oS 93-98, and Old Beaumont boys Philippe Ribet and Michael Newton were also in attendance.

dominic Wright oS 96-01 and hilary byrne oS 99-01 (above) were married in July 2009 at the Church of the immaculate Conception, Stone, Staffordshire.helen byrne was a bridesmaid, Edmund o’donovan, Jonathan bletcher and rory Malone, all OS from 2001, were ushers. Among the guests and all OS from that year were robert Eatough, James d’Aquino, helen Starkey, Lucy harrison, Elizabeth Sheahey, Mary Whowell, Matthew Porter, Matthew holden, Liam Aye-Maung, Katerina Engel and also Lena vorreiter oS 02.Dominic has received his PhD in mathematics from London University.

Christopher byrne oS 81-86 was married to Ana Maria de Fatima Cid Ruiz on 16th May 2008 at iglesia de Santa Barbara, Madrid with the kind participation of Stephen Patterson SJ as deacon. rupert

bell oS 81-86 was best man, ably supported by ushers declan Cahill oS 81-86 and Matthew hopkinson oS 76-86, with Edward bell oS 85-90, Julian bell oS 46-53, Michael Cash oS 81-86, Peter daly oS 76-86, donald hall oS 81 – 86, dominic hartley oS 76-86, Julian Isola oS 79-86, Tom Lorimer oS 77-86 and Francis McCosker oS 81-86 in attendance. A wonderful weekend was enjoyed by all.

Matthew betts oS 91-98 was married on 24 July 2009 to Theresa Parry (above), at the Jesuit church of Corpus Christi, Bournemouth.The service was concelebrated by Fr nick King SJ, oS and Fr Tony Lester, O.Carm. Matt was supported by six best men, including Simon gallop oS 87-91. Other OS present included: his sisters, rachel betts and Kerry betts, dail Maudesley, Chris Thorpe, gerard brumby, Adam Farmer, Adam Whelpdale and rory o’brien.Also in attendance amongst others were Fr hilary Thomas SJ, Fr Joseph Dooley SJ, Fr Denis Blackledge SJ and Fr Michael Flannery SJ.

Maurice Dease VC leaves the College for RMA Sandhurst

Alfred Harrison describes his plans to reach the North Pole during the Arctic night by sledging and drifting on the ice and eventually crossing the Arctic Ocean. The Royal Geographical Society disapproves.

Fr Cassidy describes the joys of speeding in a motor car with friends, towards Clitheroe but is stopped by a policeman. Hauled before the magistrates, he is fined £1 including costs but says ‘The fun we had was worth it’.

The Catholic Disabilities Bill causes much anti-Jesuit talking and writing and the Magazine notes ‘the hatred of the Society by the ultra Protestant section of the country is as great as ever’.

The Magazine also states with satisfaction that attempts to rename the Shoe Place, Study Place and Playrooms, have failed due to the strength of tradition.

A large otter is seen in Black Wheel Pool.

The Association Dinner is held in the North at the Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool, at a cost of half a guinea (52½p). The President, the Archbishop of Glasgow, was unfortunately unable to attend.

Philip Carroll, a descendant of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, is one of the founder members of the new Stonyhurst Association of America.

100 years ago

Left: Julian Ribet OS and Polly FergussonBelow: the Ribet/Fergusson wedding: Fr Nick King SJ

with the groom and ushers

Above: Christopher Byrne and Ana Maria de Fatima Cid Ruiz

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correspondence & miscellany

iN MeMor iA M

News of the deaths of the following OS has been received since the last issue of the Newsletter.

Mark Ramon de Bertodano OS 65 – 68

James Alexander Morrison Wright OS 43 – 49

David Robert Price OS 69 – 74

Anthony Mutrie Frank MC OS 31 – 37

Julian Dudley Johnston OS 46 – 55

Francis Joseph hopkins O’Loughran OS 47 – 56

John Philip McKenna OS 67 – 72

James Lys Associate Member

Raymond Broadbent OS 29 – 32

Stephen Mearns DSC OS 34 – 39

Francis Robin Ashman OS 43 – 48

Michael Tighe OS 41 – 44

Fr Gerald McCabe SJ OS 41 – 49

may they rest in peace

Friends or relatives, who wish to write the usual obituary for the Stonyhurst Magazine, are invited to contact David Knight at the College.

The Editor welcomes your news and contributions, which should be sent to him at d.mercer@stonyhurst.ac.uk.

Please send pictures independently as high resolution image files to anthony.eyre@letterpress.co.uk. If you have any queries regarding pictures, please telephone Anthony Eyre on 01285 659797.

A delighted Sean Keegan oS 66-71 writes from the Galapagos islands to acknowledge receipt of his newsletter which he did not think would reach him. he is developing a tour business there and appreciating all the things he took for granted like running water (through a tap), a postal service etc. his email address was given wrongly in the previous issue and should be:sk@seankeegan.com

Jimmy burns oS 66-71, the writer, informs us of his redesigned web site giving details about his books and activities on: www.jimmy-burns.com.Amongst other things, the site gives details of his latest book Papa Spy which is about his father and he says is a ‘true story of love, betrayal and deception in wartime Spain’.

richard barnes oS 59-68 has written telling of a book he is publishing called The Glorious Dead – Figurative Sculpture of British First World War Memorials which he highly recommends. it contains two pictures of the Stonyhurst War Memorial which is hard to photograph owing to the low relief.he has a particular interest in sculpture and is very knowledgeable about the College’s items, past, present and de-stroyed from economic necessity. Suggesting an idea for a book, he invites OS from eight decades to contact him to put together 60 one page essays by different writers. if enough people think it worth it, he will make it happen.

he can be contacted at:Frontier PublishingWindettsKirsteadNorfolk nr 15 1egTel: 01508 558174Email: frontier.pub@macunlimited.netwww.frontierpublishing.co.uk

Richard himself wrote a book Eye on the Hill: Horse Travels in Britain isbn 978-09508701-4-4 describing his journey from South Wales to inverness via Stonyhurst, then back to Norfolk. On the strength of this, he was made a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (he says his old Geography teacher, Richard Greenwood would be surprised to hear this).in his book, he keeps quiet about his

Stonyhurst connection but having passed around Manchester and into the Ribble Valley, he found his horse had developed a saddle blister and that he would have to stop and rest it. Mr Nutter at hurst Green let them stay for a few days to recover and enjoy the Jubilee celebrations and eventually it came out that he was OS. Soon came a note from the Rector with an invitation to supper and he walked down the avenue, not quite dressed for the occasion and a little self-conscious having been told already that he smelt of horses.

Lt henry russell-blackburn oS 98-03 is now training recruits at Bassingbourne. The picture sent by his father shows him and his CO about to fly into the iraq desert in an American helicopter.

his sister natalie oS 01-06 is to be congratulated on gaining a 1st Class degree in Business Management at Chester University.

From St Mary’s hall we hear that the current Ruds are going to plant an orchard and bury a time capsule in it to be dug up at their first reunion. Larry Crouch oS 69-74, headmaster, says that since reunions for the College are fifteen years on, it will be twenty years before it sees the light of day and they have some great ideas about what to put in it.

A little-known and surprising claim to fame of Arthur Conan doyle oS, whose 150th anniversary occurs this year, is that he introduced the Swiss to skiing. it was a common means of transport in Norway but the Swiss preferred snowshoes. Doyle arriving in 1893 realised that conditions were perfect for the sport. he taught himself the rudiments, crossed an alpine pass and wrote up the experience in Strand Magazine. The article encouraged the Swiss to take up the sport and also

established Switzerland as the premier destination for a fashionable new hobby.

Charles Sturridge oS 66-68 actor and director has added The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency – Series 1 to his filmography. This was recently shown on television. Based on the whimsical novels of Alexander McCall Smith, it is set in beautiful Botswana in southern Africa.

Patrick baladi oS 82-90 continues a successful acting career. After playing Dodi Al Fayed in the docudrama Diana: Last Days of a Princess and appearing last year in the television series, Mistresses, he has had a part more recently in the television series Hotel Babylon.

National Theatre associate director Tom Morris oS 74-82 has been appointed as the next artistic director of the Bristol Old Vic. Morris will resign his salaried position although remain as an associate at the National Theatre where he has co-directed Every Good Boy deserves Favour and the award winning War Horse.

From dominic hartley oS 77-86 and Jonathan Smith oS 82-87 we hear that

their musical Vision was performed by the St ives Youth Theatre at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. For promotion purposes they also had a spot on the Royal Mile and extracts from the show were performed in the cathedral. More details are on the ViSiON web site www.visionthemusical.co.uk.

On 23rd June, fame came to Stonyhurst. it was mentioned on radio and television that it was the wettest place in the country. i think most of us knew that anyway.

Northampton Saints player Joe Ansbro oS 99-94 (below left) has now been selected for the Scottish Squad and played in the recent match against Uruguay.

in a recent court circular it was reported that at The Queen’s Birthday Parade on June 13th, The Troops on Parade under the command of Lieutenant Colonel ben Farrell oS 76-86 irish Guards (Field Officer in Brigade Waiting) received The Queen with a Royal Salute.

James daniel oS 69-79 writes to give us an update on his activities. he says that after Durham University he spent 4 years

North west coNviviuM

The Convivium was held on June 17th at the College. Not trusting the weather we decided to eat indoors at a sit down buffet which was much appreciated; at least the strawberries were seasonal. The evening began with Mass in the College Chapel and then drinks and mingling in the ‘Do’ Room where the headmaster took the opportunity to welcome us and give a progress report on the new building, ‘Weld house’.

During supper, the new President of the Stonyhurst Association, dr barry o’driscoll oS 54-60, a well known irish rugby international and celebrated after-dinner speaker, introduced himself to the assembly and said a few choice words. Not surprisingly his guest at the President’s Dinner will be another rugby player, Sean Fitzpatrick from New Zealand. This news went down famously with the numerous devotees of the game and ensured a rush for tickets. The event drifted to a close in the usual gentle uproar as people made their way home after another enjoyable occasion.

feAst of st iGNAtius

Stonyhurst, July 31stit has been usual to have a celebration on this day at Farm St and other churches for a long time but the date has often posed difficulties. Many people are away at this time, grateful for sunnier climes and it can be hard to contact them. however it was felt that a special effort should be made for once at Stonyhurst. it was not of course, an Association matter but a Jesuit occasion and so invitations were not limited to OS and their families. Old Boys of Preston Catholic College,

now sadly closed, were also sought out and asked to come along. After Mass concelebrated in the Boys’ Chapel by Fr howell SJ, OS, Fr Waring SJ, Deacon Peter Williams from Preston Catholic College and Fr O’halloran SJ with music by Greg Mann, Director of Music at the College, light refreshments were served in the Top Refectory.The time and the place were especially appropriate

because it was 200 years to

with the Welsh Guards and then entered the drinks industry and in August moved to Barcelona to run Southern Europe for Brown Forman. his patch includes Malta and Gibraltar where he says, OS are well represented in the trade.he married Charlotte from the next village in Dorset and apparently a distant cousin and they have four children. They have a home near Bridport in Dorset and he keeps in contact with a few OS.

Featuring recently in The Times Magazine and described as a kitchenware designer was richard Joseph oS 88-93, one half of Joseph Joseph. Both twins admit they cannot cook but have designed more than 250 kitchen items sold in 51 countries. Richard says ‘We create functional tools that have a level of innovation that makes them easier to use or store’ and his dream? ‘To have our products in the Design Museum one day.’

dr Michael Atkinson oS 59-67 is to be congratulated on being appointed a Pontifical Knight of the Order of St Gregory for his services to the Church, as a housemaster and teacher for the past 35 years, at Eton College.

reunions and conviviathe day since Thomas Weld made over the deeds of the Stonyhurst estate to the Jesuits when the English College could truly be said to have come home.

LondonThe feast of St ignatius on July 31st was marked by Masses for Jesuit alumni and alumnae at parishes around the world; at Farm Street in London Fr William Pearsall SJ welcomed a kaleidescope of old school ties, St Aloysius, Clongowes, Stonyhurst, the Mount, Beaumont, Enfield, Wimbledon and many others: amongst the congregation i found myself next to an American from a New York Jesuit school. it was followed by a social generously arranged by Fr Pearsall and the Farm St community: many thanks!

Below: Giles Rous-Eyre and Fuchsia Hart, both OS 07, at the Farm Street reception following mass.

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os’79 reunion and bursary appeal

Ger ry l AGer berG, ANDr ew McpAr l AND, M Atthew power sJ

ThE 1ST OF MAY 2009 SAW the gathering at the College of 60 OS, plus their wives and

partners from the years 1957 – 63. Edward Gonsalves in USA had put together an email list which enabled Beverley Sillitoe, with the Association data base to contact more than 400 leavers from those years. We decided to spread our visit over four days as many were travelling from as far as USA and New Zealand.

Friday saw us assemble in the Top Refectory for a splendid sit down buffet which enabled many introductions after 50 years! The Pieta Gallery was then our base from which two parties, led by Jan Grafius and David Knight, were introduced to the Collections. The Arundel Library, which most of us had seldom visited in our school careers, brought forth items many of which were shown at the “held in Trust” exhibition at St Francis Xavier, as part of Liverpool’s Year of Culture. All of us were given a copy of the exhibition guide published for that occasion by the St Omers Press.

At 5.30, Mass was celebrated in the Sodality Chapel by Fr Adrian howell (OS 64 and Jesuit Superior at Stonyhurst) he was joined by Fr Billy hewitt and Fr hilary Thomas both of whom had been at the College in our years. This was a Mass for our departed contemporaries whose names were read out by Mark Belderbos in our bidding prayers. We were joined by Michael Turner who runs the Sodality at the College today. it was also an opportunity for many to see the fine restoration work funded by the Association.

Friday was a free evening and most departed for local pubs, some no doubt to renew memories of illicit ventures of years past; and so to the Dunkenhalgh hotel.

50th anniversary reunion

MichAel Joseph

On Saturday there were tours of the College conducted by Rhetoric pupils who brought us up to date with new boarding accommodation as well as the familiar sights of the Ambulacrum and Academy Room. Most were speechless to see the Study Place transformed into today’s More Library (bottom left). Lunch in the College refectory followed, we were all able to sample the current fare offered as standard to College pupils and staff!

Saturday afternoon was free for walks and more explorations and several spent a restful afternoon in the sunshine of the cricket flats watching the College 2nd Xi play Ampleforth. We returned to the College after changing at the hotel, some for Mass in the Angels’ Chapel at which Fr John Grummitt concelebrated, and then into the Long Room for drinks. here we were joined by members of staff and Andrew Johnson, headmaster, welcomed everyone.

Dinner was set on the old refectory tables but now set out with flowers and linen napkins. Our guests were Peter hardwick, David Clews and Frs

Grummitt, Thomas, howell and Fr Billy hewitt (Association Chaplain) who said grace. Barry O’Driscoll our incoming President toasted the Queen, Duke of Lancaster, and entertained us with his reminiscences and Peter hardwick replied. he said he found it difficult to define what it was about Stonyhurst boys other than despite an amazing lack of talent in passing exams, they seemed to be successful in their chosen field! Edward Gonsalves had most generously provided bottles of 25 year old rum which provided an outstanding conclusion to a memorable meal.

Sunday Mass was in the College Chapel celebrated by Fr John Twist, College Chaplain. We would gather 50 years ago to start our day in the “Boys” Chapel and so it was most fitting to be there once again to commemorate the Lord’s sacrifice – a celebration which filled the Chapel with the familiar Pater Noster and Domine Salvam Fac. The faith and values of Stonyhurst do not change.

After Mass we had coffee in the Do Room and said our farewells to some who were departing. For the remainder we had a free afternoon and gathered for drinks at the Dunkenhalgh before our final dinner. We were delighted to welcome Andrew and Dawn Johnson, Larry and Christine Crouch (SMh) and Frs John Twist, hilary Thomas and Billy hewitt. Andrew Johnson brought us up to date with the College and the building plans which we had all seen earlier.

Thanks must go to the headmaster, Staff both teaching and domestic and the pupils for their warm welcome and hospitality. The food was such that one OS remarked that had he known it would be so good he would never have left at eighteen!

A FANTASTiC EVENT! 33 OF US OS ’79ers met at various stages of the day and night on Tuesday

23rd June. it was difficult to recognise everyone at first but after some refreshment the recognition goggles slipped into place.

The reunion began with a Mass in the Jesuit Community Chapel at Farm Street, with Matthew Power as celebrant, and lunch followed at the Lansdowne Club. Latecomers found the revels still in full swing in the late afternoon in a pub in Shepherd’s Market. A pizza supper followed for some and the final few returned to the Lansdowne Club as that happy day came towards its end.

  We had attendees from America (Peter Conroy), Gibraltar (Lawrence isola and Peter haynes), Malta (John De Giorgio), Brussels (Jacques Du Chastel) and France (James von Clear).A seriously impressive effort by all. it was great to see everyone.

it was also very good to have received from other far flung parts of the world,

messages of regret from those unable to attend: from Dom Emmett and Mark Lochtenberg in Australia, Vidal Rodriguez in Venezuela, from Tracy Ng, Chris Oswald, Bernard Bewlay in the United States, Dave Atkin and Adrian Flanagan in France, James Daniel in Spain. (Apologies if anyone has been forgotten).

After the events cyberspace was humming with emails as people wrote saying how much they had enjoyed the occasion and with the expression of hope that we wouldn’t leave it another ten years before gathering again.

in conjunction with the Reunion, an OS ’79 bursary appeal was launched. Our hope is to raise £50,000 before the end of 2009. We very much hope too that other OS years might think of marking their major anniversaries in a similar way. As we go to press, we are delighted to report that £ 23,000.00 has been raised, hopefully without pressure or compunction! So, we are almost half way to our target, which is wonderful.

oS ’79 burSAry APPEAL

Any OS ’79 still thinking of making a contribution can contact Jonathan Parris, the Development Director, at J.Parris@stonyhurst.ac.uk or by telephone on 01254 827046. Or why not be the first to use the OS 79 Bursary Appeal Justgiving site:

http://www.justgiving.com/matthewpower/

Other OS are encouraged to read the flyer enclosed with this Newsletter, which gives details of how they might contribute, either with donations or by setting up similar schemes with their own playroom years.

Matthew Power SJ celebrating Mass in the Jesuit Community Chapel at Farm Street

Lunch at the Lansdowne Club, left to right: Jeremy Clarke, Paul Byrne, Mary Hardwick, Dan Webster, Charlie Ryan, Gerry Lagerberg, John Winfield, Mark Heath …

… and below: Tony Hitchen, John Bishop, John Colley, Matthew Power, Laurence Isola, Andrew McParland, John De Giorgio, Fergal Roche, Alistair Kelly, Dermot Skinner

Left: at the Lansdowne Club, Matthew Page and James (Lincoln) Von Clear …

… and right: The end of a great day; left to right: Kieran Hingorani, Nick Dunn,

John De Giorgio, Alistair Lorimer, Jacques Du Chastel, Paul Kearns

Many thanks to Stephen Roca for his photos on this page.

10 11

wanderers

We were again lucky with the weather for the Sporting Weekend at the College. it remained almost dry if cold for both days and April is always a chancy time. The summer term is so short that it had been very difficult to fit the Wanderers in with the other sporting commitments of the College and both cricket and rugby had to be organised for the Sunday which led to a shortage of players for the cricket. This unfortunately had to be cancelled to the deep disappointment of the College team and the chagrin of the new chairman of the Wanderers, Richard Drinkwater OS 84-91.

Golf as usual was enjoyed on the Sat-urday with tea being served in the club-house and soccer on the hurst Green pitch which proved just a little too close

wanderers rugby 7s

Building on the success of the previous year, the OS rugby sevens once again thrilled the healthy crowd which assembled on the top flats to witness, at times, heroic and entertaining rugby.

Many OS gathered in the top Refec-tory on Saturday evening for what was a very pleasant occasion and meal – can anybody let me know where they get that Banoffee pie from!? Large thanks must go to the kitchen staff for their service and to Beverley for her knack of guessing the number of mouths that need feeding.

So… to the rugby. We had sidesteps, show and goes, switches, run-arounds – well that was the warm up! The early pace setters were Rh 02, who appeared as if they had been doing a spot of train-ing pre-tournament and were marshalled well by Messrs Alex Bloomfield and Dan hayhurst, the latter mostly from the side-lines. The Staff team showed glimpses of brilliance, mostly when Richard Drink-water was furthest away from the ball and Rh 07, containing Bob ‘the magician’ Townsend in the centres, displayed a flam-boyant touch to the shortened format.

The Final was a repeat from last year as the Odd Socks locked horns with the Vodka Red Bulls. A quick try from the VRBs was followed by a period of domi-nance from the Odd Socks, with Andrew Brennan and henry Russell-Blackburn displaying skills only previously seen on the sun-soaked beaches of Fiji. Clive ‘the jester’ Burrows soon broke free to score just before the break and the Final was evenly poised. The second half failed to live up to the first, as Dino Radice and his merry men ran away with the game and another rugby sevens title.

Congratulations to everyone who took part in the weekend. Please return next year and support what is fast becoming a great event. Many thanks must go to henning Kaaber, Gareth Thomas and Simon Charles for refereeing and Kendal Sharples for keeping track of the scores.

Based on the travelling most have to do on Sunday evening after the rugby and the many sore heads apparent in church on Sunday morning, we hope to switch the rugby to a Saturday afternoon next year.

See you all in 2010!Marco Vaghetti

As the third annual fixture against the Stonyhurst 1st Xi approached, a previ-ous track record of two heavy defeats against younger, fitter opposition meant that whilst hopes were high amongst the Wanderers’ ranks (below), expecta-tions were understandably low. imagine the glee therefore when the final whistle blew under the glorious Lancashire sun to bring to a close a hard fought victory for the match’s elder statesmen.

As in previous years, came out of the blocks quickly with diligent work in the heart of midfield from the peerless McLean and Charlie Lever – making an excellent first appearance for the Wanderers – paying off as the visitors asserted themselves early on. Stonyhurst, who must have been hoping to soak up the pressure before exploiting tiredness in the Wanderers’ defence, as they had in previous years, were caught off guard.

however, despite willing running from both Sam Williams and Tom Lever – another debutant - in attack, clear cut chances were few and far between and as the half progressed, Stonyhurst began to come into the game more and more. The Wanderers thus found themselves having to defend in numbers. The colos-sal Matthew Singleton, a star at centre back, marshalled the troops admirably and was ably assisted by first Sam Eddy and then Matthew holden. When Stony-hurst finally did manage to force their way through the Wanderers’ ranks, they found the ‘man of the match’, Matthew Porter in inspired form, impenetrable be-tween the posts.

Porter’s dominance of his area imbued the Wanderers with renewed confidence and vigour, driving them on as the half-time whistle approached. Finally the work paid off following a long kick out by Porter. The aerial battle was won in the middle of the park by the industri-ous Wanderers midfield before the ball

to the Bayley Arms (see separate reports). however everyone eventually made it to the Long Room for drinks and the sit down buffet in the Top Refectory where Simon Andrews OS 61-68 presided, in-stead of Jonathan Smith OS 82-87, the Wanderers Secretary who had an agenda of his own in the London Marathon. Simon modestly pleaded his unsuitabil-ity, as a non-sportsman, for such an oc-casion but welcomed everyone and in-troduced the new chairman and thanked them all for coming before the meeting was adjourned once more to the Bayley.

The rain held off on Sunday long enough for the Rugby Sevens tournament to be completed in the afternoon with Vodka Red Bulls winning the championship.

sporting weekend

Above: the last match, Sporting Weekend; below: The Odd Socks, Rugby 7’s

found itself at the feet of Tom Lever who clipped it over his man and into the path of Williams. his first shot was par-ried by the goalkeeper low to his right, but Williams kept his cool to slot home the rebound and secure his third goal in as many appearances for the Wanderers. The visitors’ travelling entourage was in raptures and the team began counting down the minutes until half-time.

Just before the break, Stonyhurst could have had a penalty following a dubious challenge by Singleton. however Lady Luck was smiling on the Wanderers and the commendable referee Daniel Soars – who must be thanked for his help in organising the fixture – waved play on. This decision, along with some profligate finishing from the Stonyhurst strikers meant that the Wanderers went in at the break with their noses in front at 1-0. The pre-match plan of dogged tackling, simple passing and hard running had worked a treat.

The second half though was always going to be tough for a Wanderers side that rarely play together and were having to play against the slope. A change in mid-field saw Chris Jackson replacing the hard-working O’Neill who had come in from the left wing to help McLean who con-tinued to dominate the midfield battle. Jackson was a welcome addition and was soon involved with some tough tackling and delicate passing in the middle of the field. But with Stonyhurst applying all the pressure, the Wanderers were forced to restructure slightly, with Eatough coming in off the right wing to fill in as sweeper. This change gave some cover to the Wanderers immense defence on the rare occasions that Stonyhurst, who by now were piling men forward, managed to thread balls past the backline.

At fullback, Smith remained robust in the tackle throughout and did well to con-tain Stonyhurst’s tricky left winger, who

was arguably their best player on the day. On the other flank, Chris Newton was solid in the air and the tackle. As the half went on and with Stonyhurst making the majority of the running, the Wanderers began to ring the changes. To a man the replacements didn’t falter in their duties, with each one rising to the occasion and showing the commitment and effort that the tight nature of the match demanded. Clive Burrows in particular was superb as a replacement for Newton, putting in a sterling performance at left back and link-ing up well with first Charlie Lever and then Andrew holden who entered the fray midway through the half and looked lively on the ball. Andrew Brennan was a willing runner as a replacement in attack for the goal scorer Williams and showed some good touches, producing some neat interplay with Burrows and holden down the left flank.

Stonyhurst continued to apply the pressure though and were looking for a gap in the Wanderers’ defence, but the break they were after wasn’t forthcom-ing as the Old Boys refused to wilt in the heat of the sun. The Wanderers could in fact have pinched a second goal on the break when Tom Lever fired from close range. in the closing stages, Jamie heaton replaced Lever in attack to offer strength and composure further up the field as the Wanderers looked to hold out for the final few minutes in the face of pressure from an increasingly frustrated Stonyhurst.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, the final whistle blew and as it did, the relief for the Wanderers and their support-ers, who had remained vocal throughout, was palpable. Stonyhurst knew they had been in a game far beyond their expecta-tions and the Wanderers knew they had achieved something remarkable. But can it be repeated next year?

Rob Eatough

shireburn 100 winners

January, 2009: B F Crank OS 43; April 2009: h G Simmonds; July 2009: h T Williams OS 82

The draws were made by Rose-May Weld Stewart on a visit to the College and by Benedict O’Connor of the teaching staff.

wanderers soccer xi

12 13

JoNAthAN sMith

There was a strong OS showing in the London Marathon this year. if you had happened to wander through Waterloo Station at 7am on the day of the big race you would have seen a gaggle of OS outside Burger King, indulging in some final carb-loading. These athletes were in various psychological states, generally ranging between apprehension and denial. All were running for Jesuit Missions (JM) and each member of the JM team will have raised over £1,500, once all the money is in, from ever generous supporters and sponsors (many of whom will probably be readers of this publication!). As far as we are aware, all the OS runners completed the race, meaning a substantial influx of funds for JM charities like the Zimbabwe orphan projects and St ignatius School Dodoma, Tanzania.

Among the runners were five representatives from Stonyhurst, two current Rhetoric pupils, Nick isola and George Joliffe, and three members of staff Clare Brotherhood, Jonathan Smith OS and Rob Youlten OS. Their finishing times, and those of other OS runners are given below.

Congratulations to these and all the other OS who took on the challenge for a worthy cause. Apologies to any OS who ran and who is not mentioned below – please write in and tell us how you did.

Rob Youlten 03:57:22

Nicholas isola 04:18:01

George Joliffe 04:22:41

Rupert Bell   04:47:08

Ged Brumby   04:55:12

Ben Gogarty 04:56:34 (Womble)

Jonathan Smith   05:22:00

Clare Brotherhood 05:47:54 (Stonyhurst)

Ed Pike    06:13:49

David hurst 07:31:47 (Womble)

Jonathan SmithWanderers Secretary

london mar athon 2009

2009 ProJecTS(over £60,000 raised)

ZaMbia roofing St Peter’s outstation roofing chipokolo outstation Dedema School canisius High School refurbishments

GuyanaLiturgical items interior Small business Project berbice east coast Feeding catholic Magazine revamp amerindian Scholarship Top up

ZiMbabweorphan Projects St Peter’s Kubatana

TanZaniaSt ignatius School Dodoma

SouTH aFricaSoup Kitchen

emergency appeals 2009

Jesuit refugee Service (uK office)

health Warning! To all those considering volunteering to wear one of the Womble costumes in future London Marathons (i know you’re out there): don’t do it! i wore Great Uncle Bulgaria this year and, believe me, although impressive, he is hot, heavy, cumbersome and claustrophobic; the head-dress wobbles around and you can’t see more than a few feet in front of you because of the enormous snout. Oh, and did i say how hot it is?

however, i finished and collected my ‘runners medal’ (well, that’s stretching it a bit in my case) and with a few days rest i’ve changed my mind. if you want crowd interaction, constant encouragement from fellow runners, photo-calls galore, to be recognised by almost everyone (‘Great Uncle Bulgaria – you’re my favourite Womble!’), to be sung at, waved at and danced with for the entire journey, then you must go for it!

This was to be my third (and last) London Marathon for Jesuit Missions (JM) and i have never had such a party atmosphere for all 26 ¼ miles - never forget that final leg-crunching 385 yards.

My life As A woMble

From the very start we three, Orinoco (Declan Linnane), Wellington (Ben Gogarty) and Bulgaria, were made to feel welcome: as we entered the cauldron of runners near the back and i shouted out, ‘Make way, Wombles coming through’, they parted like the Red Sea and we were greeted as old friends with an enormous cheer from our fellow athletes. i’ll say that again, ‘fellow athletes.’ i like that.

At 9.45am the gun went and as we shuffled our way forward to the start i thought, ‘Great, i can handle this pace’. Some 20 minutes later we crossed the line to a special Womble welcome from the announcer. For the first 8 miles or so Orinoco and i ran together, giving high fives to the kids, waves to the mums and dads and acknowledging the singing of that ever-so-slightly irritating song (thanks a lot, Mike Batt) to which everyone knows just the first two lines. And the commonest shout was, ‘Remember you’re a Womble‘, to which i invariably replied, ‘how could i forge-et’

But then i sat on a roadside rubbish bin (after checking it out of course for ‘things that everyday folk leave behind’) waiting for Orinoco as he took a loo break (don’t ask!) and i was swamped by kids and photographers letting me know just what it is like to be celebrity for a day.

The live music at every pub along the way, especially south of the river, was just as good as always and, being a very friendly Womble, i just had to join in. So outside every pub with music i stopped and did a quick Womble break dance. As you do.

Never mind the fancy new costumes being worn, this year including Top Gear’s The Stig, a giant piggy bank being carried by four runners, Dough Man, the tallest-ever costume and the indomitable Lloyd Scott and his team carrying the Yellow Submarine, you just can’t beat the old favourites and, believe me, the Wombles are the people’s favourite.

i know that recognising the Wombles is a bit of a generational thing and i did get over being mistaken for Paddington Bear (i had to severely correct that person in person) but i do draw the line at ‘Come on Rhino’! With the large JM label on both my front and my back i was promoting our mutual cause but i was also often en-couraged with, ‘Come on JiM’!

in fact this very shy Womble ended up completely hoarse from surprising unsuspecting revellers, contented picnickers and quiet drinkers lining the route by sneaking up behind them and shouting, ‘Go Wombles’ to shrieks of glee from all of the children.

They say that the hardest section of the marathon route for we slower runners is the highway, that mile long stretch just over Tower Bridge at mile 13, where the faster runners have completed the dreaded isle of Dogs and are on their way back but a full 9 miles ahead

of you and we have it still to do. i have to say that this year i truly enjoyed this stretch the most. i ran along the central reservation and got ‘respect’ and high fives from literally hundreds of runners coming the other way. Exhilarating!

And my time this year? Totally irrelevant! Like a lady’s age, it is rude to ask a Womble his marathon time. Stop watches, stride lengths and split times are all for the ‘muggles’ of the running

world. All i can say is that, as a wizard Womble, i didn’t look at my watch even once the whole way round.

So my advice to future prospective Womblers is, in the words of Paula Rad-cliffe, ‘Pain is temporary; achievement, and Womble memories, last for ever. Just go for it!’

David HurstLeft: Uncle Bulgaria, aka David Hurst OS; below: David and the Marathon team

the catholic association

M Att betts

OS, the Catholic Association (CA) and the Stonyhurst Pilgrimage

The creation of the Catholic Association came after a series of events in the 19th Century, allowing Catholics to finally worship freely in England once more. it was also the birth of a restored Catholic hierarchy, restored in 1850 – just eight years before the first apparition in Lourdes.

it wasn’t until September 1901 that the first CA pilgrimage to Lourdes took place. Over the nearly 50 years since Our Lady had appeared to Bernadette in the Grotto, Lourdes had already become an extremely important centre of pilgrimage.

Today its main purpose is to master-mind the CA Annual Pilgrimage to Lour-des, currently incorporating the dioc-esan pilgrimages of Clifton Diocese, East

Anglia Diocese, Northampton Diocese, Portsmouth Diocese, Southwark Arch-diocese, and the Stonyhurst College Lour-des Pilgrimage and British Province of the Carmelites Pilgrimage. Each of these groups is overseen by a Diocesan Direc-tor. The entire Pilgrimage is coordinated by the Pilgrimage Director (currently Bill Saunders from Southwark Archdiocese) and takes place on the last week of August.

As one can imagine with over 800 pilgrims – sick and helpers – coming out to Lourdes each year, a lot of organisation is required. Over the years, a number of OS have been involved in the workings of the CA Pilgrimage and have taken official roles. here is a list of OS involved in the past and present, which is in no way complete, but gives an indication of the heavy involvement of OS in the charity, and not just the Stonyhurst Pilgrimage.

Chief Brancardier: Anthony Martin, Chris Atkin, Michael Cleary, Rupert Bell

Chief Medical Officers: Trevor Fernandes, Chris Parry, Adam Farmer

hospitalité President: Nell Atkin (former parent, Association member)

hospitalité Secretary: Gerard Eaton, Chris Thorpe, Matt Betts

hospitalité Council: Simon Gallophospitalité Patron: Bishop Crispian

hollisChaplain to the Sick: Fr Nicholas

King, SJGlanfield Children’s Group: Various,

but includes the Diss family, Anthony Martin, etc.

There are also a number of OS involved in other Lourdes charities, including the hCPT and the hNDL.

Matt Betts, OS 91-98, is CA Hospitalité Secretary

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i hAD TAKEN EVERYThiNG OUT, all the old pamphlets, programmes and papers collected in the large

flat box and it was right at the bottom. This was in a storeroom in the Eagle Towers and i had been searching for old photographs and anything else of interest when i found the medal. it was awarded over a century ago in what was to become Rhodesia and later Zimbabwe, Queen Victoria was shown on one side and the other displayed a charging lion with African spears and shields, symbolic of the dangers to those who passed that way.

Wondering how it came to be there, i noticed the inscription – Fr A Leboeuf SJ, CF – and as a Jesuit ‘relic’ it was not surprising that it should end up at Stonyhurst. Within minutes, and with the help of the archivist David Knight, it was found in the Jesuit Records that Fr Leboeuf was a French Canadian but also a member of the English Province and had done some of his training at SMh. he then went to South Africa and later, owing to his obvious resourcefulness, joined the group of pioneers, soldiers, adventurers and missionaries sent in 1890 by Cecil Rhodes and his maverick South Africa Company to colonise Mashonaland in what was left from the ‘scramble for Africa’.

Towards the end of the Roman era, Bantu tribes migrated south from northern Africa and by the tenth century AD had established a settled communal structure in the area. ‘Great Zimbabwe’ shows that a large and sophisticated culture existed between 1250 and 1450. Muslim Swahili traders visited the region and later in 1560 came the Portuguese, looking for gold and ivory to trade with India, but also bringing Christianity. Fr de Silveira SJ converted the king of the Makaranga or Mashonas as they were known, but was put to death soon after at the instigation of the Muslims who accused him of witchcraft. Presently the Portuguese, except as traders were driven from the region. Relative stability prevailed until the 19th century when the Matabele, an offshoot of the warlike Zulu people arrived and conquered the region, occupying the south-western part and dominating the country, periodically raiding their weaker Mashona neighbours whom they despised.

in 1879, three Jesuit fathers arrived in Matabeleland and were hospitably received by the king, Lobengula, who did not however allow them to preach the gospel because he knew that Christianity would change their way of life drastically and destroy his system of government. The missionaries made

no headway until the South Africa Company broke Lobengula’s power in 1893 and even after that they did not have an easy task.

in Mashonaland the main mission was at Chishawasha near the Fort Salisbury established in 1890 by the first pioneer column.

in 1895, Fr Leboeuf was posted to Fort Salisbury and was there during the Mashona rebellion. The Jesuit missionaries were highly esteemed by the government and hence the medal which also bears the inscription of ‘chaplain to the forces’.

Fr Leboeuf was Superior at Empandeni Mission in Matabeleland, from 1902 until 1923 but then strangely, despite failing eyesight, he became architect for the province. Amongst other buildings, he designed the new St George’s College in Salisbury on the lines of Stonyhurst, when it was moved from Bulawayo, but he died before it was completed.

Checking the OS Register, i found that Fr Peter Prestage SJ, OS 1854 – 1860 was probably the first Stonyhurst man in the area arriving in 1882, and soon there were others. Visitors to the War Memorial on the Upper Gallery may have noticed the name D. Dillon of the Bechuanaland Police and the legend ‘Matabeleland 1893’.

rhodesia

DAviD Mercer

Below: St George’s College, designed by Fr Aloysius Leboeuf SJ

MiChAEL DE GiORGiO OS 67-75 stands there, a broad grin on his face, surrounded by a

half dozen of his table tennis protégés. he’s at West London Academy in Northolt, one of the deprived areas of the capital where coaches from Greenhouse, the inspirational charity he founded, run after-school sports programmes.

“Be gentle on me, igor,” he says, shaping up for a game with one of his young stars, who proceeds to wipe him off the table. But what is impressive is that he not only knows all the children by name but their ability levels, personalities and life stories, too.

“We currently have programmes to support 7,000 underprivileged children playing table tennis in London schools and also provide training for 350 especially keen kids. But until now we’ve not had the resources to fund an elite group,” says de Giorgio.

“Starting this summer, we will employ top Chinese coaches - all former champions in China who have come to this country to learn English ahead of 2012 - to exclusively train our best 25 players.

A charismatic yet unassuming man, de Giorgio, 52, is passionate about Greenhouse, the pioneering charity he formed in 2002 after calling time

on his life as an accountant and selling his Mayfair consultancy, Portman Consultants. he is too modest to reveal how much he sold it for. But working from the kitchen of his house in holland Park, where he lives with his wife, Marianne, 51, and their three teenage children, he has laboured tirelessly for the past seven years, drawing neither salary nor expenses, to build a small but much admired charity that punches way above its weight.

his model of after-school clubs, which is supported by Boris Johnson as part of his strategy to tackle knife crime, uses sport as a driver to transform lives and level the playing field. he employs 60 coaches in 47 after-school programmes - offering football, table tennis, basketball and dance - to 8,000 kids, including special-needs children, in 37 schools and community centres in south, east and west London. All on a budget of £3 million.

“For me,” he says, “it’s about providing opportunities for children who don’t have access to them. half the children who use us are brought up without a father. i had a privileged background, with a supportive family and went to a top private school. i want to reach children who don’t have that and help them fulfil their potential.

the greenhouse effect

DAviD coheN

Our trainers double as role models and surrogate father figures and can literally turn around the lives of these children.”

“i was looking for a change of direction but i didn’t know what it would be. if i had told my colleagues that i was swapping my life of expensive holidays to exotic parts, to spend more time in areas like Peckham, and would draw no salary for seven years, they’d have thought i was mad. But i got to a point where i no longer valued what i did by the amount of money i made. Besides, i was once a rebellious teenager: i know what a lifesaver sport can be.”

Greenhouse also runs 26 football teams for 500 children in south-east London and the money raised by the Evening Standard not being used on table tennis will be used to train up their coaches, he says. “The majority of our coaches were children who have come up through our ranks. We want to put them through the Football Association training courses, mentoring courses, and child protection courses. We’re investing in their future.”

For de Giorgio, building Greenhouse drives him night and day. ‘i see Greenhouse as an alternative gang where children are inspired to do something positive with their lives.’

Article published in the London Evening Standard, 5th May 2009.

For more information, go to: www.greenhouseschools.org

Left: De Giorgio at the gym(Photo: Rebecca Reid)

16 17

Settlement and progress were incompatible with the Matabele way of life and in 1893 when the South Africa Company tried to stop them slaughtering the Mashona as was their custom, they made war. However they found that their numbers and ferocity were no match for the Maxim gun and their king, Lobengula burnt his kraal and fled. The Administrator, Dr Jameson knew that unless the king could be captured or made to admit defeat, the Matabele would remain a constant threat to white civilisation. However a demand for surrender produced no result, so a strong force was sent to find and take him prisoner.

Above: Denis Dillon OS

They reached the banks of the Shanga-ni River close behind Lobengula but could not tell on which side he had gone and a small patrol under Major Wilson crossed over in search. This ‘band of brothers’, personally selected by Wilson, included the American scout and former indian fighter, Frederick Burnham and also Trooper Dillon. They found Loben-gula’s camp but he had moved on and the patrol was ambushed. Dillon was men-tioned as saving ammunition pouches from two downed horses, presumably by Burnham who with two others, was des-patched across the Shangani to try and get help from the main party. help however had become impossible owing to the river rising due to heavy rain and Burnham re-marked that he suspected they would be the only survivors. he was right. Wilson’s patrol refused to abandon their wounded and fought to the last man.

According to the Matabele, they were asked to surrender but scornfully refused and presently, the few remaining, sang ‘God Save the Queen’, shook hands and waited for the end, the last man still firing his revolver as the assegais ended his life.

This was a code the Matabele understood and the Induna looking at the circle of bodies afterwards paid tribute to them saying, ‘They were men of men and their fathers were men before them.’

The bodies were not mutilated as was customary and the remains were later found and buried alongside Cecil Rhodes in the Matopo Hills.

Fr Prestage in a letter written in 1894 refers not only to Denis Dillon OS 1887-89 but also to Thomas Guerin OS 1864-71 and to one of the Tyler brothers OS 1879 -82.

it was Fr Prestage who started the famous mission at Chishawasha in 1892 on part of the 24,000 acres of land given by the British South Africa Company and also the mission at Empandeni on land originally given by Lobengula. he was on very good terms with both Administrator Jameson and Cecil Rhodes, the latter describing the Jesuits as the ‘best workers of any denomination.’ At Stonyhurst Prestage had been known as ‘Prim Peter’ and described as ‘a tight little fellow, holding himself very straight and possessed of a very good voice’.

On joining the Zambezi Mission, Fr Prestage was first posted to Tati, the gateway to Matabeleland, mixing with hunters and traders before moving up to old Bulawayo in 1884 and being allowed to settle at Empandeni and teach some trades and farming skills. he had to leave fairly soon due to the turbulence of the country. When he was able to return after the Matabele rebellions, he used his influence to be a peacemaker with the British.

In 1896 rebellion broke out in Matabeleland despite the disappearance of Lobengula. There had been drought, locust plagues and cattle disease and their spiritual leader Mlimo claimed the white settlers were responsible. Intending to kill or drive them out, he convinced the Mashona to do the same. Most of the troops and police were absent in the ill-conceived raid on the Transvaal by Dr Jameson so the settlers had few defences. They organised patrols to rescue those in the countryside under legendary figures like Burnham, Selous and Baden-Powell, but Bulawayo was under siege for some time until relief columns could arrive. Mlimo was eventually tracked down and killed by

Burnham, who only narrowly escaped the pursuit. Cecil Rhodes then persuaded the Matabele to surrender.

The rebellion in Mashonaland began later but continued longer. The rebels had no central command and were scattered through the countryside. Finally the people at Chishawasha had to be rescued and taken in to Salisbury and the mission was badly damaged.

it was now that Monsignor Richard Sykes OS 1871-1874 took over as Superior of the Zambesi Mission to find the Church at a low ebb but with characteristic energy he reorganised both Empandeni and Chishawasha and the missions began to thrive again. he had been head of the Line, a local boy who enjoyed fishing in the Ribble and was noted for ‘manliness, generosity, leadership, Lancashire grit and perseverance’. Previously he had been headmaster at St Francis Xavier in Liverpool and the mission prospered under his guidance until the 1st World War and a shortage of priests again made things difficult.

By 1897 the white colonists had subdued the region but during the next 60 years conflicts continued sporadically as more Europeans immigrated, developing a prosperous agricultural community on land which the blacks considered their own and from which they were largely excluded by lack of finance and knowledge of modern farming methods. In 1923, Rhodesia had become a self-governing colony with a Legislative Assembly under a governor appointed by the UK government. By the 1960s, this Assembly still had a majority of white members. The franchise of the black African majority was restricted to those who owned property and some tribal chiefs. Two black political parties had emerged to fight for the rights of the black community, ZANU and ZAPU, which were quickly banned and their leaders Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo imprisoned. ZANU was associated with the more populous Shona (Mashona) people and ZAPU with the Ndebele (Matabele). Before granting full independence as given to other colonies, the British Government wanted universal suffrage and majority rule. Ian Smith’s Rhodesian Front government opposed this, claiming the country was not ready for it and negotiations broke down. Smith’s government issued a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) notifying British Prime Minister Harold Wilson at 11am on the 11th November - a thinly veiled reminder of the part played by many Rhodesians in defending Britain in two world wars. The Rhodesians insisted that their political system would include ‘gradual steps

to majority rule’ and presented themselves as being in the front line against communist expansion in Africa.

i passed through Rhodesia soon after UDi and was greatly impressed by the orderliness, prosperity and the beauty of the country. The origins of most whites could be heard in their regional accents and they seemed genuinely hurt by the attitude of the mother country. The ‘Dun kirk spirit’ was very strong and sanctions seemed to stiffen their resolve. On passage up the coast in 1966, i saw the British warship blockading the port of Beira, wallowing disconsolately in the swell—a sad duty for the Royal Navy.

The UK, United Nations and most international opinion condemned UDI and sanctions were imposed to bring the Smith Government to heel. At first these were largely circumvented and tended to strengthen the economy but at the expense of the small African farmer. After unsuccessful

appeals for armed intervention by the African political parties, they began their own ‘bush war’ which made little headway until 1975 and the end of Portuguese rule in Mozambique.

The Church and the Jesuits in particular had been outspoken critics of the racial policies of the Smith regime opposing them whenever possible as ‘being con trary to all Christian principles’, but in 1977 as the bush war intensified, three priests and four nuns were taken out of the mission at Masami, not far from Salisbury, and shot by terrorists. One of the priests was Fr Martin Thomas SJ, brother of Fr hillary Thomas SJ who is well known to OS. Soon after this, Fr Michael O’halloran SJ, another prominent Stonyhurst figure went out as Rector to St George’s College, Salisbury.

By this time the Rhodesian Army were recruiting foreign volunteers, Vietnam

veterans and adventurers including Mark de Bertodano OS 60-68 (RiP). he had the misfortune to be blown out of a truck by a mine but was not too badly injured.

Sanctions, emigration and white conscription, withdrawal of economic and military support by South Africa, increased casualties and increasing international pressure for a settlement forced concessions by the Smith regime until a power sharing agreement was made with Abel Muzorewa as nominal prime minister in 1979. This internal agreement however was boycotted by ZANU and ZAPU and was not majority rule so the bush war continued until the peace conference at Lancaster House attended by all parties. Rhodesia became a British colony again until an internationally supervised election in 1980 won by Robert Mugabe and ZANU. It was the end of Rhodesia and the country became independent as Zimbabwe with Mugabe as prime minister.

Below: Wilson’s Last Stand

iN 1996 ST GEORGE’S COLLEGE in harare, Zimbabwe, celebrated the centenary of its foundation. The

occasion was celebrated in great style since it was of significance not only for the church in Zimbabwe and for the Society of Jesus but also for the country as a whole, for as the date of foundation suggests, this Jesuit college is the oldest school for boys in the country. When a grant of arms was given to St George’s by the College of heralds in 1931 the motto, ‘Ex fide fiducia’ was included. Both before that date and since, confidence from faith explains the many achievements of the school.

Like so many Jesuit colleges, St George’s is a place of which one becomes enormously fond and about which one can wonder whether it can possibly have many serious rivals. That certainly was my own experience when i was there from October 1977, until December 1983. That was in the difficult times of UDi, the war of liberation, sanctions and then a winding down of hostilities, the Lancaster house Agreement, and the establishment of an independent Zimbabwe, to be followed by a false dawn of reconciliation and justice for all. As had happened before in its history,

faith and confidence

MichAel o’hAllor AN sJ

the faith and confidence of St George’s were put to the test, but neither was in any doubt and both proved themselves strong. A proud sign of all that was the chapel which was built in the rectorate of Fr John Brogan, my predecessor but one, opened for worship just a few years before in 1973. it stands in the centre of the buildings and catches the eye of every arrival. Right from the start, perhaps rather from force of circumstances than from deliberate policy, St George’s took boys of all faiths but made proper and special provision for Catholic pupils. With the establishment of a non-racial policy in the 1960s, St George’s along with the other independent schools of the country began to accept non-white pupils and by the 1970s this was

flying in the face of stated government regulations. in the religious sphere, this meant that for the first time, there would be non-Christian faiths represented at St George’s. For me this was a challenge to remember and live by a set of rules promulgated by the Jesuit Province in England in 1686 or so, for the running of the two schools opened in London and for that in Edinburgh. The rules are refreshingly unambiguous: ‘iV. There shall not be either by Masters or Scholars any tampering or meddling to persuade anyone from the Profession of his own Religion; but there shall be all freedom for everyone to practise what Religion he shall please, and none shall be less esteemed or favoured for being of a different Religion from the others.’ And again, ‘V. None shall upbraid or reproach any one on the account of Religion; and when any Exercise of Religion shall be practised, as hearing Mass, Catechising, or Preaching, or any other; it shall be lawful for any Protestant, without any molestation or trouble, to absent himself from such Exercise, if he please.’ The breadth of mind of these old Jesuit rules was in harmony with the breadth of vision of the post-Council Church. Neither in my own schooling or in my

18 19

teaching, had i had any experience of a multifaith Jesuit school and i felt a certain confidence in basing the teaching of religion and the presence of pupils at Mass or other chapel services on these rules from the past.

in the centenary year of St George’s a book was brought out to mark the anniversary. it bears as its title that challenging phrase of Fr Pedro Arrupe, ‘Men for others’. The three parts are entitled, ‘A history’, ‘Sports and Culture’, and ‘Reminiscences’ and there is a fascinating collection of Lists to do with all sorts of aspects of school life. The written story of any school might well follow such a pattern as Tom Muir has so admirably shown us.

1896 was the opening day of St George’s for the first half-dozen pupils, but only in the previous year had the future Zimbabwe become a responsibility of the English Province of the Society. Previously the territory had been an international Mission of the Society of Jesus as a whole served by priests and brothers who were volunteers from many parts of the world. A recent article in the in-house journal of the British Province has reminded us of the place of origin of the first eleven Brothers who came to the Mission from 1879 – the Netherlands, ireland, Flanders, Canada, Liechtenstein, Moravia, Germany, and England. No one typifies more prominently these men than Fr Marc Barthelemy, a Frenchman who was the first headmaster of St George’s. The last decades of the 19th century saw the expulsion of religious orders from France and so many of them eagerly offered themselves for service elsewhere. Fr Marc cut his teaching teeth in Limerick and St

Aidan’s, Grahamstown before coming North. The school in Grahamstown had been staffed largely by English Jesuits since 1875 and it became the stable centre from which the dream of the Zambezi Mission might be fulfilled. There was an unsuccessful expedition in 1879 but other expeditions followed more successfully and that of 1892 brought Fr Marc to the area he was to serve for the rest of his life. he not only founded the school but in 1912 designed a splendid range of new buildings which remain to this day, St George’s was highly esteemed and well respected, a witness to faith and a sign of confidence.

in 1925 it was announced that the school would be moving to Salisbury, the centre of gravity of the up and coming Rhodesia. Building began at once, to the designs of the French Canadian Fr Aloysius Leboeuf, and in 1927 St George’s began a new life in a new home. That new home, like its predecessor in Bulawayo, rapidly became one of the sights of the city and unlike the building in Bulawayo, had around it its own extensive playing fields and a preparatory school. The new life in that new home was not remarkably different from what had preceded it. Boys are tenacious of tradition and St George’s boys are no different from others in that respect. They had much to be proud of and those sources of pride have continued – the ordination of Old Boys to the priesthood, the nomination of Rhodes Scholars, a first class sporting reputation, success in public examinations, good university careers, keeping up a family presence at the College, surviving political upheaval and its threats, retaining links with schoolfriends, being willing to serve in

time of war. in the Lady Chapel there are plaques to those who gave their lives in the 1st and 2nd World Wars and to those who died in the war of liberation. it is part of our faith to pray that that will not again be required of the College’s ‘men for others’.

Just recently the Jesuit newsletter in Britain included an article about the way in which parents and pupils at St George’s have been helping the prisoners in harare prison. They have been desperately short of food and through the initiative of one of the lady teachers, boys have been bringing to school, bread, peanut butter and fruit, as well as toiletries and footballs, to ease the plight of the prisoners. The work has had good results and continues along with that of the international Red Cross. This is obviously a work of Christian compassion with its origins in the words of Our Lord in the Beatitudes, but in the situation of Zimbabwe as it is today, it is more than that. No one can deny that St George’s is in a privileged position. Most families in the country have scarcely enough food to feed their own children. Few families have regular access to the hard currencies that make it possible to buy the simple foodstuffs that are being collected for the prisoners. There is most certainly Christian compassion behind this work, but it is also a recognition of the duties that come with privilege.

When i read of that initiative, i knew that St George’s remains the school of the Society of Jesus that it has always been.

Michael O’Halloran SJRector of St George’s 1977-83

Left: St George’s College Chapel, built in the years before 1973 during the rectorate of Fr John Brogan SJ

Right: a St George’s scrap bookfrom the O’Connor family

20 21

Contingency plans had been prepared by the British Governor, the South African Govern-ment and most white families for urgent de-parture but after a meeting with Mugabe and ZANU, Ian Smith was reassured that whites could and should stay in the new Zimbabwe, that the terms of the Lancaster House Agree-ment would be strictly kept and that changes would only be made gradually and by proper legal process.

These changes came too slowly for some and encouraged by the South African Gov-ernment, dissidents of the ZAPU insurgency in Matabeleland targeted white farmers, mis-sionaries and tourists to make ‘international headlines’. This insurgency was put down by the notorious Fifth Brigade of the Zimba-bwe Army when thousands of civilians were massacred in 1983 and tribal strife continued until the 1987 Unity Accord with Nkomo, leading to Mugabe’s single party government.

Growing dissatisfaction with this government led to increased intimida-tion of the electorate and in 2002, the Jesuits felt obliged to speak out in thinly veiled criticism of the Mugabe Regime and offer ‘moral sanctuary’ for those persecuted. They were especially criti-cal of the corruption of youth who were

being recruited to do the ‘dirty work’ of the government. They appealed to politi-cians to mend their ways. Again in 2003, the Jesuits complained ‘Why is the moral ethos of Zimbabwean society being un-dermined by violence, intimidation, cor-ruption, polarisation and indifference to the sufferings of our people?’

The 2002 election was rigged and put Mugabe in power for another six years and again in 2008, Mugabe would not concede to Morgan Tsvangirai whose supporters were subjected to government backed violence and who had to withdraw in the end for their protection. The UN condemned the human rights abuses and the elections and eventu-ally Mugabe was forced to accept Tsvangirai as a token prime minister.

‘The tragic irony of Zimbabwe is that what is today a hellish country should by all the evidence be a paradise. Its high malaria-free interior is a magical place: sweeping vistas of long tawny grasses slope up to the mountain ranges of the eastern highlands; in the north the land falls sharply down to the Zambezi River, which tumbles magnificently over the Victoria Falls. Zimbabwe is blessed with rich, loamy

soil. Beneath it lie generous seams of gold, chromium, coal, iron and diamonds. At Independence in 1980, Mugabe inherited a sophisticated, well-maintained infrastructure. The black middle class grew fast and Zimbabwe enjoyed the highest standard of living in black-ruled Africa.’

From ‘Day of the Crocodile’ by Peter Godwin OSG, (Vanity Fair, August 2008; www.kubatana.net)

From 2000, agricultural production declined drastically as white farmland was forcibly given to black, former combatants untrained in agricultural land management, or to government ministers, senior civil servants and other people of influence who were part of Mugabe’s ‘clan’. This process has continued. Along with floods and drought, these policies have led to significant food shortfalls. The government, who have banned non-government aid organisations, have denied this. Financial mismanagement has created hyperinflation, one out of four people are infected with HIV and Zimbabwe has the lowest life expectancy in the world. The sign of peace is no longer offered at Mass due to the danger of cholera. (2009)

zimbabwe…

i ENTERED ThE ZiMBABWE STAGE in 1989, ten years into the governance of the new state of Zimbabwe. The

new government had inherited a secure infrastructure and it was a prosperous nation hailed as the breadbasket of Africa. indeed many felt it was a far superior nation to its neighbours. South Africa was just overcoming apartheid, Mozambique was crippled by a civil war with its economy in tatters and no one really talked about Botswana and Zambia. i remember laughing with my friends when a hundred Zimbabwean dollars was worth 1 million Mozambican metacais.

My Jesuit education began through a partnership of schools connected to St George’s College and i proudly wore the red blazer. The horrors of the 2nd Chimurenga and segregation were blissfully lost on us children. Skin

colour meant nothing - my best friends at primary school were black and i am still in contact with them (with the help of Facebook) today.

But in 2000 Mugabe called for a referendum on a new constitution. He had proposed some controversial changes that effectively strengthened his grip on power, one of which included a presidency for life. The proposed constitution also legalised the seizure of commercial farms without compensation for transfer to black people.

i was a first year student at St George’s when the farm invasions were in full swing. St George’s is predominantly a school for day pupils but also takes board ers. Some of my classmates were sons of white farmers and this was a very difficult time for them.

By this time the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) had formed. Morgan Tsvangirai advocated a “NO” to the

referendum and encouraged everyone to vote. In Zimbabwe there is only one TV station, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation. This became the trumpet of the state, spewing out subtle propaganda. There were no adverts for the MDC, but in the build-up to the referendum vote, every fifteen minutes the program was broken for a pro-referendum advert.

The result of the referendum was a resounding negative – a great shock to Mugabe. This was to be the last free and fair vote Zimbabwe experienced.

In 2000 there was a general election and in 2002 there was a presidential election. International Observers were allowed within Zimbabwe’s borders and most declared them both invalid. In the capital most of the MPs elected were members of MDC. But in the rural areas ZANU(PF) held strong. There were stories of intimidation that floated in from the villages. There was a youth group

…the mugabe yearstiM lewis osG AND os 02 – 07

of loyal ZANU(PF) supporters that moved around the countryside holding “pungwes” at which the people would be forced to swear allegiance to the ruling party, sing patriotic songs and even anti-white or anti-British songs. I could not help comparing this to what I had heard of the Hitler Youth of the 1930s.

There were other stories too: thousands of bogus votes being cast in favour of ZANU(PF) in various rural districts. Another trick to retain power was targeting the white population. The government prohibited dual citizenship. Those entitled to another nationality had to relinquish it or relinquish Zimbabwean citizenship. Most of the people faced with this decision revoked their connection to Zim preferring the protection of a foreign passport and fewer travelling restrictions. In this way these people were prevented from voting.

My family emigrated to the UK in 2002 when i continued my education at Stonyhurst in Lower Grammar. Making a living in Zimbabwe was becoming more difficult. With the political unrest and an increasingly unstable economy, for-eign investment in the country had dried up. This affected my family and was our reason for leaving Zimbabwe.

In the intervening years before the next election there was a severe drought which the government blamed for the lack of agricul-tural produce. In order to raise some funds the government exported all their grain reserves. There was a food shortage and many people particularly in the rural areas starved. Oppo-sition party members continued to be intimi-dated, beaten up or jailed.

In 2005 there was a controversial govern-ment initiative called Operation Murambats-vina which means ‘drive out trash’. The objec-tive of the operation was to remove the people from the slums which had developed around the cities over the previous 10 – 15 years. The estimates of this devastation ranged from 300,000 to 1,000,000 people being affected. Their shanties were destroyed but there was no plan for the government to relocate these people and they became homeless in the depths of winter. This was thought to be an attempt to remove the political opposition, as it was apparent from the previous election that MDC support came from the urban areas.

i went out to stay at St. Peter’s Ku-batana with Paul Warrilow and isabella Gee in 2007 as part of the Chirwirangwe programme. Zimbabwe had changed for the worse. The people were still very wel-coming and proud of their country but the supermarket shelves were empty; inflation spiralled to ridiculous figures; and sourcing fuel and money from banks became a daily chore. Zimbabweans are

no strangers to queuing for almost eve-rything.

The school was struggling but carried on. Teachers’ salaries were not being paid and so there would be days when class-es of pupils would have no one to teach them – the teacher was out for the day finding other means of making money or couldn’t afford the cost of coming to school. There was a great demand for text books – in some of the classes we saw 5 or 6 children crowding around a single text book.

it was a difficult time. There was little hope among the people for change and there wasn’t much motivation among or-dinary people to effect it. There was so much suffering now that people were too busy trying to find their bread for the day rather than worry about removing the governing power.

i returned this summer; this time for work experience at a hospital at the Jesuit mission at Musami.

There was a new unity government in place which had allowed the US dollar and the South African rand, alongside the crippled

Zim dollar, as legal tender. Suddenly shops in Harare were full. It seemed that the economy was slowly restarting. There were still signs of a crippled infrastructure – the condition of the roads was bad and cars avoided pud-dles in case they drove through a pothole and streetlights did not work. Most of the traffic lights did not work properly and sometimes there was a danger that green showed for both directions of traffic, or they didn’t function at all. Residents in the town still suffered from erratic electricity and water supplies. Most people had filled their baths as storage for water.

Residents of harare returned to a more reasonable life but those in the rural areas continued to suffer. Musami hospital is over an hour’s drive from harare. it was very difficult for these rural people to find US $ to pay for the treatment we provid-ed. An elderly lady needed a plaster cast for her broken leg and when the doctor inquired whether she had any funds to pay for the treatment she replied, “No doctor, but i did bring a goat!” The trans-action must have been approved because i later pushed her with a plaster of Paris limb, in a wheelchair to the nearby bus stop. The next morning i noticed a new goat in the expanding resident herd.

i saw a diverse range of patients. it was a surprise when an hiV test result was negative. Most people suffered from a combination of immunosuppression and an opportunistic infection such as TB or pneumonia.

All civil servants, including the President are given US $100 per month. This includes all the staff at the hospital – nurses, doctors, technicians, all get the same amount. School fees are also US $100 per term. Clearly things cannot carry on the way they are.

But this time, I felt there was a dif-ference – there was hope. With the new currency and the stability it brings, people are beginning to see a future in the country. I hope they are right but my feeling is one of caution – the US $ has brought a temporary respite until the economy can get going again. This will need a considerable amount of money and at the time of going to press the Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, has failed in his tour to gather funds from the international community, which is understandably reluctant to give, until a real change of heart is seen in the new government.’

Tim Lewis and friends at St Peter’s Kubatana

Left: the Flame Lily, national flower of Zimbabwe

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ChiRWiRANGWE iS A ShONA word: simply translated, ‘part-ner ship’, where there is a

common need to meet challenges and dangers: two villages needing to protect themselves from a lion, for example.

This concept lies at the heart of the Companions’ Programme developed by Jesuit Missions and embraced by both Stonyhurst and St Peter’s Kubatana, a Jesuit school in harare. Links between Stonyhurst and St Peter’s date from its foundation in 1963 by Fr Ted Rogers SJ. St Peter’s welcomed a steady stream of Stonyhurst “gappies”, including Tim David OS 58-65, who was to return after his university years to run the school.

in more recent times St Peter’s has faced harsh difficulties: it was taken over by a lay body, and the school, following the economic conditions of the country, became badly run down. in the early years of this decade the Jesuits were in-vited to return and take control of the school. They faced a huge challenge, with the most basic things – for exam-ple, doors – lacking. Tim Lewis in his article has described some of the ways that Stonyhurst has responded to St Pe-ter’s , in a programme co-ordinated by Paul Warrilow at the College and Larry Crouch at SMh. Most recently money has been raised to help Kundai Mango-ma, a St Peter’s pupil who developed a severely disfiguring tumour on his face. Over £10,000 was required for surgery to rebuild his face, and this was raised by Stonyhurst pupils and staff in a variety of

st peter’s kubatana

St Mary’s hall supports Musami Mission and St Paul’s Primary School through their charity, Children for Children. St Paul’s is one of the few schools in the area which offers an education to handicapped children.

‘What is important to Children for Children is that they develop a reciprocal relationship with Musami Mission and that they learn and gain as much as they give. To date, St Mary’s hall has raised money that has facilitated the purchasing of much needed text books for St Paul’s, Musami. The school were delighted to receive this gift and created a booklet to commemorate the event.’

St Paul’s is now starting its new academic year with stationery supplies from SMh.

musami mission

ways: sponsored swims, ‘home Clothes Days’, donations from Learning to Care amongst them. in June a first operation took place in Cape Town, with a second planned in the near future.

however Chirwirangwe is about more than just raising money; it repre-sents a two-way traffic. Jesuit Missions write: ‘The focus of the Companions’ Programme is to unite these two exam-ples of Jesuit education at its best, with the result of further improving the qual-ity of the education in each institution. Supported by the British and Zimbabwe-an provinces and coordinated by Jesuit Missions, this programme aims to make the idea of ‘men and women for and with others’ a reality…

‘Aristotle said that, “Friendship is essentially a partnership” and indeed the pupils and teachers of these schools have embraced this partnership: a partnership known as Chirwirangwe…

‘For the pupils of St Peter’s Kubatana, Chirwirangwe will enable them to rise to the challenge of new opportunities for re-development as true men and women for others: to fully utilize the material resources that they gain for the benefit of the students, teachers and the local community. The challenge for Stonyhurst is to react to the plight of St Peter’s Kubatana and demonstrate the qualities of compassion and conviction that Jesuit Education instils. Most importantly, for both schools, this programme is about dialogue and learning from each other.’

chirwir angwe

Above: my first day at the mission

Left: St Peter’s pupils, all members of Chirwirangwe. ‘There are about 15 pupils in the St Peter’s Chirwirangwe group, who meet every week and write letters and send projects to pupils at Stonyhurst College, describing typical Zimbabwean customs and traditions. The pupils at Stonyhurst College reciprocate, writing letters and projects, sending photographs of life at College, along with DVD’s and other Stonyhurst items.’

an oS with more than usual dedication to voluntary service is annie Lea oS 03-05, not under the umbrella of XVP but mainly by private arrangement. She has not confined her help to the profession she is training for but is prepared to offer assistance according to need – and there is always plenty of that:

WhiLE AT STONYhURST i was a member of the Arupe group which increased my

awareness of the inequalities there are in the world. i left the College in summer 2005 to go to Peninsula Medical School and following my first year at medical school i decided to do some voluntary work overseas.

Summer 2006i went to Ghana to teach at Jesus Gram-mar School in Darwhenya a small town near Tema. i was given the responsibility of teaching the primary 2 class - all sub-jects. This opened my eyes to both the fi-nancial inequalities in the world and the educational inequalities that may act as a barrier to development. The children had previously been taught in an old-fashioned style involving copying from the board and verbal repetition, without necessarily understanding what they were learning. Their academic abilities between 7 and 14, were lower than the abilities of 4 and 5 year old children i had observed in the reception class at hodder house, without any significant differ-ences in their natural academic poten-tial. This was a shock, but made it even more rewarding to see how effective my modern teaching methods, learnt at hodder house, were, in improving these children’s ability to think for themselves.

The improvement in their academic performance was huge. i used this to persuade permanent staff to adopt some modern techniques in their teaching.

Educational inequalities were not only evident in the pupils i taught, but also in the adult population, many of whom had never heard of dinosaurs! While i was in Ghana i fell in love with the people and the culture and although there are many things they do not have, there are many things they have that we could learn from, such as their laid back attitude to life with a focus on enjoying it, rather than a constant drive to achieve goals. i left Ghana a very different person and i knew that i wanted to return one day!

Summer 2007i decided that being further on in my medical studies, i had something to contribute in this area, so i decided to go to Cambodia to work at the children’s surgical centre in Phnom Phen, a charitable centre set up by an orthopaedic surgeon from Yorkshire. While there, i assisted with surgery which was provided free of charge to needy people and also helped with a research project looking at attitudes to the all too common problem of acid throwing attacks and their victims. The most common surgeries carried out in the centre were for cleft lips, untreated orthopaedic trauma resulting in disability, and burns contractures resulting from acid attacks. The experience gave me an understanding of how both financial inequality and cultural differences impact on the way people receive healthcare.

Summer 2008i decided to go back to Ghana, this time further north to a small town called Obo, again to teach but to combine this with some time in the hospital and local orphanages. it was great to be back in Ghana and also to see a different region of the country and different aspects of Ghanaian life. Again, using modern teaching methods, the improvement in their academic performance of the children was noticed by the staff and they were keen to use the teaching materials i left for them and to learn how to use them. During this visit i had the opportunity to talk to highly educated Ghanaians about the problems facing their country as well as to see many of these problems first hand in the hospital school and orphanage. This time again i left with a will to return and i’m almost certain i will return to Ghana at some point when i am a qualified doctor.

Summer 2009This summer i am due to go on my medical elective and i am planning to go to Tanzania to do paediatrics. i am very excited about this trip and hopefully at this stage in my medical education i will have something real to contribute as well as learning a lot.

Annie Lea(shown overleaf)

…part of the overall gap year experience and a reminder that it is not all work or even ‘play’, Stefano Ghirardi

oS 05-07 sent us this unusual story:

Met by the Lions

Rufiji River, East Africa, 2008.

AFTER GETTiNG OUR WiTS back we sat down to eat, which wasn’t easy. i for one had lost my

appetite and gave up after half a bowl of pasta. The tents were beginning to seem more and more like a dangerous resting place… While everyone else, shocked, was talking nervously about our recent experience and how unusual it was, i was worrying that the animal would come back, and was wishing they would just shut up, so we could listen for the slight-est sound…

i had been doing a gap year in Tanza-nia with XVP and spending some time with my brother, Claudio, who lives in Dar es Salaam. One week-end we decid-ed to go hunting in Rufiji. it would be my very first time, and i was really excited as we got everything prepared for our escape into the bush. We were not inter-ested in ‘trophies’, but looking forward to getting away from the city and into the wild for a couple of days. Some meat for the pot would be a bonus.

We had set off early, accompanied by a friend of my brother, with whom he had been hunting since they were boys. We also had three Tanzanians with us: the safari mechanic, a chap to help set up camp, and finally a mzee (a respectful name for an old man) who was going to collect the permits. We were in two cars: my brother’s brand new air-conditioned, double-cab pick-up and the obligatory Land Rover, also a pick-up; the former for a comfortable journey to the middle of nowhere, and the latter to make driving through tall grass possible.

First we had to go and collect the game permits, and after driving a couple of hours south, on mostly good tar road, we arrived at Utete on the Rufiji River, the administrative centre for the region. The town doesn’t seem to have much going for it, but during their colonial rule, the Germans built a fortified administrative centre here, called a boma, and this fort is still in use. The rest of the little town is made up of a hospital, a few little dukas (shops), houses of course, and nearby

gap year news

24 25

there is a leper colony. Until 2005, when a bridge was completed, travellers to Utete had to cross the great Rufiji by pontoon. Surprisingly the town also has an airstrip, but unsurprisingly there is a gully running across the ‘runway’.

At the boma, the relevant bureaucrat assigned a game scout to accompany us, and we set off again along bumpy bush roads, climbing all the time into the thickening forest.

Early afternoon and we eventually arrived at a suitable clearing to set up camp, but before we put up the tents, we walked round the area just to make sure there were no black mambas or other nasty surprises. We could hear a lion calling, but the game scout assured us that there was no need to worry; it was far away. But if it was so far away, how come we could hear it growling? hear-ing lions, especially at night, is common when camping in the African bush. how-ever they never come into the camp…

Our base established, we climbed into the Land Rover and set off looking for game. July is in the dry season, so the grass was withered, but still very tall. Once we got off the track, the driver had to rely on good luck and the guidance of whoever was standing up in the back, to get through the grass without hitting anything. Still we did manage to get caught on a few tree trunks.

We had permits for three wart hogs, one buffalo, two hartebeest and a wildebeest, and although we had brought tins of food, were really looking forward to the possibility of a juicy buffalo steak or something similarly exotic for supper.

After driving round for a few hours, we saw lots of elephants and impalas, but none of the animals we had permission to shoot. But never mind, vegetarian pasta can be very tasty. We were sure we’d get something the next day, if we got up early enough.

it was back at the camp, just after dusk, that the fun began.

Our mechanic saw two eyes shining in the gloom right next to one of the tents. it was a female lion! Our movements while trying to see what it was, scared it round the back of the tent. it came round the other side and stared at us as we huddled near one of the cars, (into which the mechanic and the camp man had already jumped). My brother and his friend went forward with their rifles, and the lion didn’t budge. We weren’t quite sure what to do about it, and then the scout decided to take matters into his own hands: he pushed Claudio towards the lion, stepped back himself, and told my brother to shoot above the animal’s head. he did this, but the lion, instead of trembling with fear and running in terror from us, turned around and walked nonchalantly away.

After supper, they were still calling to each other; there was a call from one side of the camp and another from the other side, so there were at least two lions around. Sure enough about half an hour later, i heard movement in the grass. Getting up in fear i shuffled towards the nearest person with a gun. Everyone stood up, scared. i shone my torch into the grass and as i had dreaded, two eyes were lit up - another lioness. Mzee, the

mechanic and the camp man jumped into the Land Rover again, as she walked round the back of the pickup, and re-appeared from the other side. Only the fire separated us from her, but then we saw beyond her, another lioness sitting in the grass. We were terrified. Nothing like this had ever happened to any one of us before. Seized by an adrenaline rush, Claudio jumped to the other side of the fire, and putting no more than five metres between himself and the nearest lion, he shot above it. it did not budge. he fired a second round and she strolled back towards her companion.

At this point, the frightened scout hissed, “ Piga!” meaning ‘Shoot to kill’.

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. My brother took a different gun, but when he tried to shoot, it jammed! Scared and uncertain what to do, he told his friend to shoot the lion with his gun and in the near darkness he took aim and fired. We heard a noise from one of the lions but at last, by the light of the torch, we saw them running away. We were greatly relieved that they had gone, but still worried that they might return.

As we calmed down, there came a new fear. had we wounded one of the lions? (We hadn’t, but we didn’t know this then.) if so, how could we prove to the authorities that we had shot in self-defence and not for the sake of killing such a beautiful animal…. all the while during the discussion we were looking and listening for movement in the grass. The tents were definitely out of bounds, and we were looking forward to an uncomfortable night in the cars, four in one, three in the other. We slept better than expected, but there was one more scare before we went to ‘bed’ - another pair of eyes glowing in the grass. These turned out to belong to a hyena – only a little less dangerous.

Dining out on the story back in Dar es Salaam, numerous people told us that there had recently been a programme on the National Geographic Channel about man-eating lions in the Rufiji. We couldn’t help wondering…..*

My first hunting trip is the most frightening thing that has ever happened to me. i can’t wait to go again!

Stefano Ghirardi

*British readers may have seen Nature Shock on Channel 5, in December, 2008, about the Rufiji lions. These man-eaters hunt as a pride and even attack villages: last year they killed 20 people. The Ghirardi party probably had a narrow escape.

R i P

A year ago we showed a picture of Fr Gerald McCabe SJ, OS 41 – 49 beside a new truck, supplied at his request by Eagle Aid, for a clinic in harare. We are sad to report that he died recently after a lifetime devoted to the work of the Society in Zimbabwe. his obituary recently appeared in Jesuits and Friends:

Father Gerald McCabe, ‘Gerry’ to his friends, was born in Leith, Scotland, on 26 November 1932 and joined the Society on 7 September 1949. he was ordained at heythrop, Oxfordshire, on 31 July 1962.

Gerry went to what was then Rhodesia as a scholastic in 1956, and returned there after his ordination. he worked in Musami between 1964 and 1973, part of the time as Superior, before going to Makumbi (1974-9), he was Superior in Rhodesville from 1979-80, then Musami, and finally at St Albert’s (1981-82) before being appointed Socius to the Provincial from 1983 to 1988.

After six years in this post, Gerry became Administrator of the cathedral, where he stayed until 1996. This was followed by two years at Braeside. But when his health started causing problems, he moved to Richartz house to help with administration; he also assisted the Socius in Garnet house. he was made Superior at Canisius house, before being reappointed Socius in 2004. There he remained until 2008 when he handed over the baton of Socius to Fr Joe Arimoso and came to retire to Richartz once more.

Fr Gerry McCabe died unexpectedly but peacefully on 29 May 2009 at the Socius office where he had worked for so many years.

Rare seventeenth-century Jesuit

keyboard music on Compact Disc

READERS OF ThE STONYHURST Association Newsletter (297) will remember the report of the highly

successful sell-out opening concert for the Held in Trust exhibition which took place at St Francis’s Xavier’s church in Liverpool last July. At that event, which featured several world-premieres, the specialist period ensemble Cappella Fede directed by Peter Leech performed vocal and instrumental music associated with the seventeenth-century Stuart Catholic Chapels Royal, including works by Miguel Ferreira, Giovanni Sebenico, Antonio Cossandi, Vincenzo Albrici, innocenzo Fede and Giovanni Battista Draghi, as well as keyboard pieces from the Antoine Selosse manuscript.

Discovered in 2004 in a London second-hand bookshop by the present writer, the Selosse manuscript, dating from c.1670-1690, contains 145 pages of beautifully copied music comprising key-

board pieces in a wide variety of styles in-cluding italianate toccatas, French dance suites, ground bass variations and even an English hunting tune. Apart from one item known to be by the English recusant organist and composer John Bull (c.1562-1628), the contents are attributed to Anto-ine Selosse SJ, Professor of Music at the English Jesuit College of St Omers from 1659-1687 and probably an organist at St. Lambert’s Cathedral, Liège, in the 1650s.

in 2008 the Selosse manuscript was published in a full critical edition edited by Leech for Edition hh (Launton, Oxfordshire). in a review of the edition for The Consort the harpsichordist Penelope Cave reported that the pieces ‘are of a high quality’ and would ‘fit beautifully into a programme of music composed between the virginalists and Purcell’. Since very little music has survived which can be connected with the seventeenth-century music school at St Omers, the Selosse manuscript is important evidence of what might have been performed in that environment and subsequently disseminated through the

wider Jesuit educational infrastructure emerging in England and the Low Countries after 1660, a phenomenon which reached a high point of activity during the reign of James ii (1685-88).

The virtuoso British keyboard performer Terence Charlston, Professor at the Royal Academy of Music, quickly recognised the importance of the Selosse manuscript and the need to record its contents. Thanks to the generous financial sponsorship of St Omers Press and Cappella Fede, recording began earlier this summer and should be complete by the end of September, with a release date either in late 2009 or early 2010. The CD will be issued by the prestigious Deux-Elles label which includes in its catalogue music by other composers associated with the seventeenth-century English recusant community, such as William Byrd and Matthew Locke. Further details of the critical edition can be found at http://www.editionhh.co.uk and of the CD recording at http://www.deux-elles.co.uk towards the end of this year.

capella fede

peter leech

26 27

in my family it is not unusual for invitations to reach an unintended member, so my reaction to a letter from Christopher Page can be imagined. however, one should never pass up an invitation to be President, especially when the extended family assured me of their support.

initially one joins a Committee, all the members of which are passionate in their support for the history, traditions and good name of Stonyhurst and who seek to strengthen the links between the Association and the College. This extends to fostering its good name world wide, always remembering that it is the oldest extant Jesuit College in the world.

i have endeavoured to assist with the Committee’s project to establish a world-wide list of OS area representatives to foster links between OS and the College, and between each other in their area.

The organisation of the Annual Dinner away from the College proved to

iN hiS SPEECh AT ThE GREAT Academies Association Champagne Reception, our Chairman, Christo-

pher Page, welcomed new parents, and encouraged leavers’ parents to remain involved with the Association. in sum-marising the activities of the Association over the last year, he suggested that to have had over 1200 members attending our events must be a record. For this he praised the Association office and Com-mittee, particularly thanking the out-go-ing President, Jay Chitnis for all his sup-port, and welcoming Barry O’Driscoll as President for 2009-2010. he also passed on the Association’s thanks to the staff at the College, particularly to the catering staff who provide such hospitality to the Association.

The Chairman then picked up on the themes that he had introduced last year, with the intention of illustrating to new parents that members of the Association were not just “Champagne Catholics”. he had previously defined the Associa-tion as a ‘serving, sharing, and Eucharis-tic community”. This year he developed the idea of community, arguing that any real Community should be made up of three generations, having a sense of his-tory (the past), of reality (the present) and of vision (for the future). he saw a danger that the Association could be

pigeon- holed as ‘the past’, but confirmed that a key object of the Association was to ensure that the history and traditions of the College were passed down; “Do not let the memory fade; a man without a memory is insane”. he also emphasised the role of the Association in maintain-ing past friendships, through events and through prayer.

however, he argued that the Associa-tion must also be a part of the present and have a key role in the future, he quoted Fr Kolvenbach‘s definition of a Jesuit Alumni Association, namely that it should be “The living meeting point for the former pupils, parents and staff to share the same vision, to feed again at the sources of ignatian spirituality, and to find the necessary support to make a reality of our commitment to work for others, through works of justice and compassion.” Our Chairman then showed how the Association, through its activities, intended to give that support, with references to the publications of the St Omers Press, the grants and bursaries, the pilgrimages, retreats, the Sodality, Eagle Aid and numerous other charitable projects, as well as the social and sport-ing calendar.

he identified the Eucharist as the fuel that gives the Association the energy to develop its vision, quoting hopkins and

pr esiDeNt’s r eport 2008/2009

be both daunting and exciting right up to the last minute but with the invaluable assistance of Michael Joseph we had the numbers and age spread to give a lively evening. it was a delight to renew

acquaintance with both Bruce Kent and so many other OS in the glorious setting of the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham. Concelebrated Sunday Mass at St Paul’s Convent nearby proved to be a memorable conclusion.

i greatly enjoyed the Oxford convivium where more links were made and i regret that due to factors beyond my control i was unable to attend other functions.

however the Easter retreat as always proved to be an opportunity to restore one’s priorities in the company of the Stonyhurst family which once again proved to be such a cohesive group. One is impressed with the obvious care with which the leaders of each group have prepared their input.

i am so grateful to have had this opportunity to serve as President.

Dr Jay Chitnis

Plunkett to show that “Eucharist is in everyone and can be found everywhere”. in his key passage he suggested that, “if we have the eyes to recognise it, the Church’s celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist signifies a reality, namely the self-giving love of God at the heart of the universe. Eucharist is the expression of our communion with one another and with God’s creation, in and through Christ. Eucharist, God’s love and pur-pose, is made manifest in each one of us, but only comes to life in our relation-ships with each other, in our common celebration of that love, in what we call communion, not just the queue to the altar rails, but in all that we do.”

Christopher Page finally argued that history, traditions, friendships, prayers, the service to others, all have the Eucha-rist at their centre, and that the Eucharist must also be at the centre of a Stonyhurst education and of all the Association stands for. Returning to his description of the Association as Champagne Catho-lics, he suggested that we should all be filled to overflowing with the bubbles of the joy of the Eucharist, and that, buoyed up and challenged by the extraordi-nary community that is Stonyhurst, we should “leap out of the windows, jump the walls, climb the Towers, and share our joy, luck and love with the world.”

champagne catholics

A wonderful opportunity for young and not so young alumni/ae of Jesuit Education took place in Bujumbura, Burundi from 23-27 July this year. it had been preceded by a pre-Congress programme for the young for a week giving them an experience of some of the problems being faced in Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and the actions which are being taken now.

The Congress itself was also a great success with 215 representatives from 31 different countries around the world. in addition to a number of excellent presentations by speakers on a variety of issues there was plenty of opportunity for group discussions.

One of the highlights of the Congress was an address by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Fr Adolfo Nicolás who spent a full day participating and meeting those attending.

The success of the Congress was very important and was attended by a number of dignitaries who included the

Archbishop of Bujumbura, the Bishop of Bukavu, the 1st Vice-President of Burundi (an alumnus of the Lycée du St Esprit in Bujumbura) and the Chargé d’Affaires of the Papal Nuncio.

The President of the World Union accompanied Fr General to a meeting with the President of Burundi. here we learned of his priorities which centred around Education and health.

We believe there is a role for the Association to offer careers advice and guidance not only to those who have recently left the College (including Syntaxians) but also to those who want to change paths later in life.

The membership holds a vast range of experiences, expertise and contacts. It is an Aim of the Association to give assistance to members and support each other where help is needed. Our objectives would be:

1. To set up a small working party of volunteers who want to assist particularly undergraduate and recently graduated OS.

2. To use the membership of the Association community to assist, directly and indirectly, enquiries and manageable requests for help

3. To offer both generic and specific practical help and advice - and ensure confidentiality Some examples of the sort of practical assistance might

include CV reviews, mentoring, information sign-posting, assisting work placements, business set-up, and just using the Association.

For the future, there is merit in looking at identifying career groups such as

Medicine/Dentistry/HealthLawAccountancy/CityMediaArmed ServicesMarketing

Typically, these reflect the main career paths for many OS. For each of these paths we would probably want to set up a small group of ‘experts’ who offer a more specialised career advice service. So, we are looking for volunteers for the Steering Group to contact myself, Niall Macfarlane (shireburn.house@zen.co.uk) or Christopher Page for further discussion to get this project off the ground. If you can help please do not hesitate to let us know.

careers advice and guidance: volunteers needed!

7th wor lD uNioN coNGr ess of Jesuit AluMNi/Ae

At the end of the Congress a number of resolutions were presented to the Congress and these will be taken forward by the new Council under the Presidency of Professor Tom Bausch of Marquette University, Milwaukee.

Details of all the main addresses will be available on the World Union web site www.jesuitalumni.org .

Bernard Thompson, Retiring President of the World Union of Jesuit Alumni/ae

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the stonyhurst association

AiMs & Activities

for the membersTo maintain contact with and support members of the Association, other friends of Stonyhurst and Jesuit schools worldwide, through:Contact database; newsletter and web site; stu-dents’ grants; reunions; annual dinners; sport; other annual events.

for the churchTo encourage members to develop their faith and sup-port of the Church, through:The Association Prayer Book; the College Easter Retreats; the Lourdes and other Pilgrimages; the Sodality; the Association’s Chaplains.

for the collegeTo work closely with the College and to provide, where possible, support for the College in the achievement of its objectives, through:Association Office giving support to the Devel-opment and Admissions office; scholar ships, prizes and bursaries; publi cations through the Association’s St Omers Press; careers advice.

for the disadvantagedTo provide comfort and support for the disadvantaged, particularly those suffering from bereavement, pov-erty, sickness, mental or physical disability, through:The Annual Stonyhurst Lourdes pilgrimage; supporting holidays for children with special needs; Eagle Aid; promoting the Xavier Volunteer Programme and other Jesuit projects; benevolent funds.

The Stonyhurst Association is run by its offic-ers, committee and full time Office Manager, through its office at the College, and is funded through subscriptions and investment income arising from gifts made over the years by mem-bers.

MeMber ship

Full membership of the Association is available to all pupils leaving the College and its prep schools, to their spouses and parents, to all past and present members of staff, and to those relatives and friends who wish to support the objectives of the Association.Associate membership is available to parents or guardians of current pupils, and to current staff members.Applications for membership should be made to Mrs Beverley Sillitoe at the Association Office, Stonyhurst College, Clitheroe, Lancashire bb7 9pz.

benefits of Membership

GolfThe Stonyhurst Golf Club allows members to play golf when visiting the College for a fee of £10, which is payable at the Bayley Arms. it would be advisable to check to ensure that the green is not closed for competition purposes. Their telephone number is 01254 826478

FishingAny member who might be interested in fishing on the hodder or Ribble can contact Mrs Beverley Sillitoe at the Association Office (association@stonyhurst.ac.uk). Permits can be obtained for the day, but alas this is for members only and not friends. Good trout fishing can be had from mid March to September and the sea trout fishing is at its best in June, July and August. Salmon start to run the rivers from mid summer until late autumn. Fly fishing is the preferred method but in certain conditions spinning is allowed.

WeddingsMembers who are to be married can have their wedding ceremony in St Peter’s, subject to the date being available and with arrangement with the Parish Priest, Father Adrian howell SJ. We are also able to offer a champagne and canapés package following the ceremony, and the College grounds of course provide a perfect setting for the wedding photographs. For further details please contact Mrs Claire Eddleston at DevCo@stonyhurst.ac.uk, or telephone 01254 827014.

AssociAtioN officer s

president 2009-10 Barry O’Driscoll OS 54-60

chairman Christopher Page OS 67-76

treasurer Gerard Lagerberg OS 74-79

office managerBeverley Sillitoe

newsletter editorDavid Mercer

coMMittee Mark Belderbos OS 56-61 Adrian Bidwell OS 69-74 Jay Chitnis OS 44-50 Martin Clifford OS 93-98 Larry Crouch OS 69-74 Anthony Eyre OS 70-74 Mark hurst OS 75-83 Sarah Knight OS 87-89 Toby Lees OS 94-99 Niall Macfarlane OS 66-75 Brendan Roche OS 78-82 Emma Wotton

r epr eseNtAtivesBelgium John Martin OS 59-67France Stevan Corbett OS 69-74Hong Kong Larry Luk OS 93-98Ireland Derek Fanning OS 81-89Isle of Man Adrian Forbes OS 88-96Malta John de Giorgio OS 70-79Mexico Patrick O’hea OS 73-76Scotland Paul Allan OS 59-68Spain Carlos Langdon Ruiz OS 57-65USA John Stiller OS 46-53(East Coast) USA Malcolm Martindale OS 50-59USA Ken O’Brien OS 69-74

wANDer er s r epscricket

Richard Drinkwater OS 84-91golf

Paul harben OS 90-94hockey

Charlotte Dugdale OS 94-96netball

Jessica Macfarlane OS 00-05rugby

Marco Vaghetti OS 98-03soccer

Robert Eatough OS 96-01

GR ANTSThe Stonyhurst Association has some funding available for student grants in the following categories:

OS students at university undergoing financial hardship; Medical Electives; and Travel Electives.

in 2007 we awarded £3750 to OS students who made successful applications.

The Association will consider grant applications at the end of each summer term before the next academic year. All grants are subject to the avail-ability of funds. in the case of financial hardship grants then the applicant needs to demonstrate that there is a real financial need. The application should include a letter of support from the appli-cant’s University Tutor or head of Department, and in the case of medical and travel electives it should confirm that the arrangements being made will be beneficial to the student’s degree.

All applications should be sent to: Mrs B Sillitoe, Stonyhurst Association, Stony-hurst College, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 9PZ.

Stonyhurst Law Society, Christmas Term 2009Should file-sharing be outlawed? Are reality Tv personalities also employees?

Should Tesco be able to provide legal services?

Law underpins society and therefore affects everything we do. The Law Society will be covering a wide range of topical issues, meeting once a month in the Bayley Room. The society will be welcoming eminent judges and lawyers to share their knowledge, experience and opinions. Jonathan Smith OS will provide a formal start to the programme by presenting An Idiot’s Guide to the Law on Tuesday 22nd September at 7:30pm.

Please feel free to attend: for programme details email: 2595@stonyhurst.ac.uk.

Sophie Le Breton, Chair, Stonyhurst Law Society

classifiedsFor a free advertisement or announcement here, please email association@stonyhurst.ac.uk

Comment on contemporary issues

Reports from around the world

Insights and inspiration on theology and scripture,

faith and life

t h i n k i n g fa i t h

The online journal of the British Jesuits

www.thinkingfaith.org

EaglE aid PilgrimagE to romE 2009

the annual pilgrimage will leave london Heathrow on 19th october. the first destination will be the Cistercian abbey at Casamari where we will remain for two days. We then proceed to rome, staying until 27th october. We are fortunate to have Steven Fachada in charge of the organisation and those who were with us in Florence will remember that although the holiday was spiritual, the artistic side was not neglected.

For further information, please contact

maxinne torrents dels Prats

020 7373 6702email: torrents@aol.com

Eagle Aid ConcertHer Excellency, Señora Doña Beatriz Maria Souviron, the Bolivian Ambassador, has graciously invited Eagle Aid to hold a concert at the embassy, 108 Eaton Square, London SW1 on 19th November. Ben Rogerson OS 86-91, a distinguished cellist, will be performing with his quartet.

Please contact Maxinne Torrents dels Prats on 020 7373 6702 or email: torrents@aol.com

HANSLIP FLETCHER PRINTS

Michael Tweddell OS 50-54 has a set of six of these limited edition signed prints of the College which he wishes to sell (four illustrated above). Their value is

considered to be about £600. Anyone interested should contact Mr Tweddell at: michaeltweddell@btconnect.com

Michael TweddellWallhead Barn, Wallhead Farm, St Weonards, Herefordshire hr2 8py

01981 580088 07773293669

MOUNT STREET JESUIT CENTREone day workshops

The 12 Steps – A Path to Freedom for Everyone Presented by Sandra Macdonald, 11am-4pm on Saturday 26 September

Dreams and the Soul’s Journey Presented by Madeleine O’Callaghan, 11am– 4pm on Tuesday 29 September

Exploring your Personality Presented by Margaret Philpot, 11am-4pm on Saturday 3 October

A Spiritual and Practical Approach to Confident Communication Presented by Sandra Macdonald, 11am – 4pm on Saturday 17 October

114 Mount Street , London W1 For bookings and information: Lynne Galloway 020 7495 1673, lynne@mountstreet.info

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shop!

GooDs AvAil Able froM the AssociAtioN

Left top: association tie, £19Middle: oS tie, Knitted silk: £19bottom: oS tie, printed silk: £17below: oS bow tie, knitted silk:

£19

Left: wanderers tie, £19

Clockwise from above:Lapel Pins, £ 8.00Shields, £24.00Pre-tied oS bow tie £15oS silk cravat £30Link cufflinks £16.00chain cufflinks, £17.00

Please add £1 for postage and packing.

Cheques should be made payable to the Stonyhurst Association, please note that we do not have credit/debit card facilities.

Please mark your order for the attention of:

Mrs B Sillitoe, Stonyhurst College, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 9PZ

from st omers press

Left: Salve Regina, the Rosary and other Prayers, £12.95

Below: in this well-researched and readable account hJA Sire (OS 58–68) describes the role that Stonyhurst played as one of the principal providers of Catholic university education in England. For over 50 years students followed courses of Thomist philosophy developed by the Jesuit community for degrees awarded by London Univer sity.

The students–known as Philosophers – were drawn from an elite of the Catholic gentry, national and international. A high-spirited and privileged group, their life outside studies – hunting, shooting and elegant entertainment – is vividly drawn in this inside view of the leading Catholic school of its day.

Gentlemen Philosophers by HJA Sire, published by Churchman Publishing. 196 pages, paperback. £8.95.

Left: hiroshima: hundreds of thousands annihilated in a split second, in the ‘flash-bang’ – ‘Pika-Don’ in Japanese. Death, excruciating pain and unexplained sick ness scarred humanity.

Fr Pedro Arrupe SJ was among the survivors, leading a small Jesuit commu-nity; their experiences of the aftermath, and their Christian response to the suffering, forms the central theme of this book. This is a true story, but as gripping as any novel; read it and you will walk through the ruins of hiroshima with Pedro Arrupe and his colleagues, and witness the horrors they saw.

Pika-Don, by George Bishop, published by Fisher Miller Publishing. 160 pages, paper-back. £10.00.

Above: Glory be to God, a Stonyhurst Prayer Book, St Omers Press. Second edition, with minor corrections.

128 pages, hardback, £9.95.

Books can be ordered from the Association: please add £1 for postage per item.

Below: Many OS will remember Andrew henderson, who taught art at the College for 18 years. This is an exciting story, drawn from eyewitness sources, of the 100 years which saw the college go from a small group of refugees to the leading, trend-setting centre of excellence in Catholic education of its time.

The Stone Phoenix, by Andrew Henderson, published by Churchman Publishing. 180 pages, paperback. £9.95.

Above: Aidan Liddell (OS 00–08) won the fourth air VC in 1915. in With a Smile and a Wave Peter Daybell (OS 69) makes use of a wide range of source materials including many previously unseen family papers and photographs.

With a Smile and a Wave provides a vivid picture of the squalor and danger of war, the backbreaking hardship of trench life and the challenges of pioneer air fighting. But it is a story not just of war, but of growing up in a devout and prosperous family, of a Jesuit education at Stonyhurst, and of Edwardian Oxford before the Great War.

With a Smile and a Wave by Peter Daybell, published by Pen & Sword Books. 304 pages, hardback. £19.99.

32L D S